Veterans
Veterans Veterans Health care As a Vietnam Veteran and Co-Chair of the Congressional Veterans Caucus, I believe that one of our first priorities has to be providing for those who have served our country. Since 2007, I voted in favor of adding over $23 billion for veterans’ health care and services. This essential funding has since helped improve health care treatment and access for hundreds of thousands of our nation’s veterans. Additionally, I have supported efforts to provide an additional $30 million in funding to increase the number of Community Based Outpatient Clinics for the more than 3.2 million veterans living in rural areas who do not have ready access to VA hospitals. Moreover, I am tired of seeing veterans waiting six months or more for medical appointments. Therefore, I voted in favor of the Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2008. As a result of this legislation the VA has already hired 8,300 additional claims processors and has brought the claims processing system up-to-date for more accurate and timely delivery of benefits to veterans, families, and survivors. Between 1962-1974 the Department of Defense (DoD) conducted chemical and biological testing on U.S. service members and civilians under programs call Project SHAD and Project 112. Notified of the tests in 1999, Congressman Thompson began meeting with the DOD and the VA insisting that an investigation be conducted. When work on the investigation was proceeding at a slower pace than necessary to help exposed veterans, Congressman Thompson introduced legislation that required the DOD to make public all tests, provide veterans with the healthcare that they need and required a General Accounting Office investigation. The language was included in the 2003 Defense Authorization Act. As a result of Congressman Thompson's legislation, the Institute of Medicine conducted a clinical study, completed in 2008, to determine the long-term health effects of these exposures which will enable the VA to provide health care and/or compensation. A second clinical study by the Institute of Medicine is now currently underway. Concurrent Receipt and the Survivor Benefit Program (SBP) I am a cosponsor of legislation to eliminate the offsets veterans and/or their spouses incur under concurrent receipt and the survivor benefit program. This bill would repeal the current offset of Survivor Benefit Plans (SBP) by Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC). Though progress was made in the concurrent receipt program in 2003, there is much work that remains to be done to ensure that no disabled veteran sees a reduction in their pay. I support and have cosponsored legislation that would phase in a fix to the SBP program over the next 5 years. There is clearly much more that needs to be done to ensure our veterans get access to timely, quality healthcare, and I will continue to make this issue a priority. Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress The Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center was created by the U.S. Congress in 2000 to collect, preserve, and make accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. Congressman Mike Thompson is currently launching county specific Veterans History Project Steering Committees in Yolo, Lake, Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties. Put simply – Congressman Thompson needs your help. Please check out the link below for more information on how you can get involved. Related Documents:
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Today we thank our veterans
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