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WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Henry E. Brown, Jr. (R-SC), a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, joined today with the House of Representatives in support of two pieces of legislation to address the needs of our nation’s veterans. The Rural Veterans Access to Care Act (H.R. 1527) establishes a three year pilot program to allow highly rural veterans, who are enrolled with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), to elect to receive covered health services through a non-VA health care provider. Congressman Brown, as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health during the 109th Congress, held numerous hearings on health care issues facing rural veterans and today’s bill represents the next step in addressing the unique needs of these rural veterans. The House also sent S.2617, which provides an annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) to the rate of veterans’ disability compensation payments and other VA benefits, to the President for his signature today. While the final COLA amount has yet to be set, it is estimated that it will provide veterans with a 2.8 percent increase in benefits over last year.
Following passage of the legislation, Brown made the following statement:
“Meeting the needs of our veterans is a top priority as a Member of Congress. Veterans live in every community in our country, and while some of them are very far away from VA facilities, they are fortunate to have access to high quality local hospitals. H.R. 1527 represents a step toward examining how we can encourage greater cooperation between the VA system and these local hospitals to serve the needs of veterans living in rural areas while assuring them that they will receive their special status as veterans.
The COLA legislation is critically important to millions of veterans across the country. With the rising cost of energy, this increase will ensure that our veterans receive disability benefits that help meet their daily needs. Disabled veterans have sacrificed so much for our country; we must be vigilant in seeing that they are appropriately provided for.”
For more information about Congressman Brown’s work for veterans, visit his website: http://brown.house.gov/Issues/veterans.html.
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