Congressman Sander Levin

Keeping Our Promises to Our Nation's Veterans

It is absolutely essential that we honor our commitment to the men and women who have fought for our country. The Obama Administration and Congress have made veterans care a priority and already significant steps have been taken to strengthen health care and expand opportunity. Going forward, the Veterans Affairs Committee intends to address new ways to handle the VA claims backlog this year and the Appropriations Committee is working hard to ensure that next year’s VA funding is delivered on time. These are both priorities for me as well.

If you are a veteran, please see my veterans assistance page for more information or contact my District Office at (586) 498-7122 with any questions or concerns you may have.

Strengthening Veterans Health Care

I strongly supported the 2010 budget resolution which calls for $53.4 billion in funding for veterans’ programs, $5.6 billion (11.7 percent) more than the 2009 level. Since January 2007 the Democratic-led Congress has pushed through a series of historic funding increases for veterans’ health care and other services resulting in better health care for the VA’s 5.8 million patients and the addition of more than 8,000 new doctors and nurses.

The budget resolution also calls for an end to the Bush Administration’s ban on enrolling modest-income veterans for VA health care and affirms the VA policy that veterans with service-connected disabilities will continue to get the high quality health care they deserve.

• More on Veterans Health Care

Expanding Education Opportunity

The new GI bill, which takes effect August 1, will provide veterans who have served since September 11, 2001 with benefits that cover the full cost of tuition up to the most expensive public college in each state and include a monthly housing stipend and $1,000 per year for books and supplies. For troops committed to serving at least ten years in the military, these benefits can be transferred to a service member's spouse or children.
The VA is now taking applications for those who want to begin school in August.

These increased educational benefits will help ease the transition to civilian life for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and will make an investment in the future of our troops and their families. Previously, the Montgomery GI Bill only covered 50 percent of the average cost of tuition and the benefits for Guard and Reservists were drastically less.

• More on the New GI Bill

Access to Mental Health Care

It is estimated that 620,000 returning troops suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, or traumatic brain injury (TBI) from Iraq or Afghanistan. In response Congress has expanded VA mental health care services and provided an extra three years of VA health care eligibility for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. The 2010 budget resolution calls for expanding VA research on how to treat mental health, post-traumatic stress disorder, and traumatic brain injury.

Congress has also required the Department of Defense to institute a comprehensive policy to address TBI and PTSD and guarantee veterans a mental health assessment. Hiring of mental health professionals has begun, but many more are needed.

• More on Veterans Mental Health
  

(Updated June 18, 2009)