U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs RSS 2.0 Feed

Chairman Murray Statement on Decline in Homeless Veterans Population

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 00:12:00 GMT

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD), made the following statement after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, released the 2012 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR). The report showed a 7.2 percent decline in veterans homelessness since 2011 and a 17.2 decline since 2009. However, the report also details a 1.4 percent increase among persons in families.

“Those who heroically served America in the military should not find themselves struggling to find a bed to sleep in or a meal to eat,” said Chairman Murray. “With new servicemembers returning home every day and the economy on the road to recovery, it is critically important to continue supporting programs like HUD-VASH and SSVF. I am grateful for the progress we have seen, because these programs have been working. However; I am deeply concerned about the data indicating an increase in homeless families. I firmly believe the success of our nation’s families and the future of our economy are rooted in the investments we make in basic necessities like education and housing. And I remain committed to providing America’s families and veterans with the sense of security and dignity they all deserve.”

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Sen. Murray Calls on Secretary Panetta to Provide Timeline for Promised Military Review of PTSD and Behavioral Health Diagnoses

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 00:10:00 GMT

(Washington D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, sent a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta requesting next steps and a timeline for the execution of a critical military-wide review of PTSD and behavioral health diagnoses made since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began. The review, which Secretary Panetta promised following the misdiagnoses of servicemembers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, has seemingly stalled since being announced on June 13th.

“The Department must act with a sense of urgency in order to complete this review and to act on its findings in coordinating with other ongoing efforts to improve the disability evaluation system.” Murray wrote to Panetta. “Each of these efforts is vital in ensuring servicemembers truly have a transparent, consistent, and expeditious disability evaluation process.”

Senator Murray’s letter also addressed her concerns that records for military units in Iraq and Afghanistan, which are often used to provide information on potential health and exposure issues be carefully identified, located, and collected.

The full text of Senator Murray’s letter follows:

October 18, 2012

The Honorable Leon E. Panetta

Secretary of Defense

1000 Defense Pentagon

Washington, DC 20301

Dear Secretary Panetta:

I am writing to express my concern about two distinct issues, which taken together impact the disability evaluation process for servicemembers and veterans.

At the outset, I very much appreciate your ongoing efforts to address behavioral health diagnoses and care both within the Integrated Disability Evaluation System and throughout the Department at large. In June, as part of this ongoing effort, you announced a comprehensive Department-wide review of mental health diagnoses. Shortly after the announcement, I had the opportunity to meet with Under Secretary Conaton to discuss some of the initial steps the Department had taken in preparation for this review. However, it appears that progress on this effort may have stalled. I am writing today to request the Department’s next steps and timeline for execution of this review.

The Department must act with a sense of urgency in order to complete this review and to act on its findings in coordinating with other ongoing efforts to improve the disability evaluation system. Each of these efforts is vital in ensuring servicemembers truly have a transparent, consistent, and expeditious disability evaluation process.

My second concern relates to the ability of the Department, and specifically the Army, to identify and account for many records for units that served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The lack of access to documentation of the locations and functions of specific military units interferes with the ability of both servicemembers and veterans to obtain evidence of military service that may result in adverse health conditions now or in the future. As we have learned from prior conflicts, this lack of documentation all too often leads to hardship for veterans in establishing a relationship between military service and a specific medical condition.

The lack of accessible documents may also impede future research efforts if health care problems arise from service in Iraq or Afghanistan. For these reasons, I would like to know the current status of efforts to identify, locate and collect records for units that served in Iraq and Afghanistan. I also urge you to take all necessary steps to ensure unit records are properly archived and accessible.

I appreciate your attention to these requests and look forward to our continued work together to strengthen both the disability evaluation system and behavioral health diagnoses and care and to ensure our servicemembers and veterans have access to critical military documents.

Sincerely,

Patty Murray

Chairman

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Chairman Murray's Statement on IG Report Detailing Waste at VA Conferences

Mon, 1 Oct 2012 00:10:00 GMT

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, released the following statement after the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Veterans Affairs released a report on their investigation into two conferences in Orlando run by VA’s Office of Human Resources and Administration.

“I am deeply dismayed by what the Office of Inspector General has found regarding these conferences. The blatant waste of taxpayer dollars and government employees improperly accepting gifts cannot, and will not, be tolerated.

“The IG report highlights failures in areas that have continually been problems for VA, including contracting and human resources. I expect the Department to act quickly to address these longstanding shortcomings.”

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Mystery Republican Blocks Cost of Living Adjustment for Disabled Veterans

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 00:09:00 GMT

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Chairman of the Senate Veteran’s Affairs Committee, announced that an as yet unnamed Senate Republican has blocked a traditionally non-controversial bill that would provide over 3.9 million veterans and their survivors with a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for the benefits they receive. The COLA increase, which is designed to offset inflation and other factors that lead to the rising cost of living, was brought to the Senate floor by Senator Murray last Thursday. The bill was cleared by all Senate Democrats but was blocked by at least one Senate Republican that has not come forward to claim responsibility.

“This is stunning” said Senator Murray. “Particularly because we still don’t have any indication why someone would block a cost-of-living adjustment for veterans and their surviving spouses, many of whom are struggling to make ends meet. This adjustment for our disabled veterans is hard earned and well deserved. My hope is that whichever Senator has decided to hold up this bill will at least come forward to own up to it. That way we can move forward to overcome their oppositions and get our veterans the support they need.”

The Veterans COLA will affect several important benefits, including veterans’ disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children. The COLA rate will match the annual increase provided to Social Security recipients and is based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index.

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Senator Murray's Statement on Senate Republicans Killing the Veterans Jobs Corps Bill

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 00:09:00 GMT

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, released the following statement after Senate Republicans killed her Veterans Jobs Corps Act which would have provided a $1 billion investment to help veterans find work as police officers, firefighters, and in other jobs serving their communities. Despite the fact that Veterans Jobs Corps Act was fully paid for, Senate Republicans raised a procedural point of order in order to kill the bill which would have required 60 votes to waive. The final vote on the point of order was 58-40.

“It’s both shocking and shameful that Republicans today chose to kill a bill to put America’s veterans back to work. At a time when one in four young veterans are unemployed, Republicans should have been able, for just this once, to put aside the politics of obstruction and to help these men and women provide for their families.

“But this vote is stark reminder that Senator McConnell and Senate Republicans are willing to do absolutely anything to fulfill the pledge he made nearly two years ago to defeat President Obama. It doesn’t matter who gets in their way or which Americans they have to sacrifice in that pursuit, even if it’s our nation’s veterans.

“It’s unbelievable that even after more than a decade of war many Republicans still will not acknowledge that the treatment of our veterans is a cost of war. Today they voted down a fully paid for bill that included bipartisan ideas to put veterans in jobs that will allow them to serve their communities. Jobs that would have helped provide veterans with the self-esteem that is so critical to their successful transition home.

“Today Senate Republicans told the less than 1% of Americans who have spent the last decade serving and sacrificing for the other 99% of Americans that they are not willing to honor that sacrifice with new investments in their well-being when they return home.”

The following are Senator Murray’s remarks on the floor of the Senate prior to the vote:

“Mr. President, here is what a vote to support this point of order says - plain and simple: ‘We have spent enough on our veterans.’

“A vote to support this point of order says that despite the fact that we have paid for this bill, despite the fact that one in four young veterans are out of work, despite the fact that veterans suicides are outpacing combat deaths, and despite the fact that more and more veterans are coming home, we are not going to invest in these challenges. We have done enough.

“Mr. President this point of order puts a price on what we are willing to provide our veterans and it says ‘not a penny more.’

“It’s a point of order that will not only kill our ability to pass this bill. But that could also affect nearly every effort we make to improve the lives of veterans going forward.

“In fact, just last week, I held a markup of the Veterans Affairs Committee, in which we passed a slew of bills in a bipartisan fashion. Bills that would improve mental health access, that would give students new tools to maximize the GI bill, and that would give those veterans who have lost their ability to start a family access to fertility services.

“These bills could likely all be subject to this point of order - as would countless other veterans bills introduced by Senators on both sides of the aisle. And there is no end in sight for how long this point of order could be raised.

“So we should to consider the lasting effects of this vote. And we should all consider the fact that veterans are watching this vote closely.

“Mr. President, this is a bill that has been endorsed by the American Legion and by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. They know, as I do, that neither party has the magic bullet for this problem and that we should be taking good ideas from both sides of the aisle.

“And that’s exactly what we have done with this bill. This bill includes 12 different provisions to help create veterans jobs - and eight of them are ideas that have come from Republicans.

“In fact, to make this bill even more inclusive and more bipartisan we took Senator Burr’s entire alternative bill and added it to ours. At every turn, we have sought compromise. But instead of meeting us halfway, we have been met with resistance.

“Instead of saying yes to the nearly one million unemployed veterans, it seems some on the other side have spent the last week and a half seeking out any way to say no.

“But it doesn’t have to end this way for our unemployed veterans – we can join together to pass this bill.

“You know Mr. President, our veterans don’t ask for a lot. My own father never really talked about his service. The veterans that I meet all across the country certainly don’t want to be seen as dependent on government.

“But we do owe them more than just a pat on the back for their service. We owe them more than bumper stickers and platitudes. We owe them more than procedural roadblocks that will impede our ability to provide help now and into the future. We owe them action. We owe them real investments that will help get them back to work.

“And that’s what this bill does. And it does so because putting our service members back to work is a cost of war.

“Just like their health care and benefits. It is part of what we owe the less than 1% of men and women who sacrificed for the 99% that didn’t.

“Mr. President, It’s no secret that this is not the easiest time of year to get this bill across the finish line. It’s all too easy to point to the calendar or to level accusations of politics against one another.

“But in my two decades working on veterans issues here in the Senate, I have seen veterans issues rise above politics time and again, even when it seemed our backs were against the wall. I have seen Democrats and Republicans come together.

“And they have done so because there is one group of Americans that doesn’t care about the calendar or how many days we are from an election – and that’s our unemployed veterans. What they care about is finding work in their communities, finding work that gives them self esteem, and finding work that helps them provide for their loved ones.

“Mr. President, we can help do that today. I urge my colleagues to join with us in waiving this point of order. To join with us in telling our veterans that we are not done investing in their care and benefits – not by a long shot. Join with us in moving forward with a bill that is paid for, that won’t add to our deficit, and that shouldn’t be killed by procedural games. Join with us in putting veterans above political obstruction, and back to work.

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Spouse of Severely Wounded Veteran Testifies on VA's Fertility Treatment

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 00:06:00 GMT

Watch the testimony HERE.

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Wednesday, June 27, 2012, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, chaired a hearing to examine health and benefits legislation pending before the Committee. At the hearing, Tracy Keil, the spouse of a severely wounded OIF veteran discussed her family’s experience with VA’s fertility services. Veterans who have severe reproductive and urinary tract injuries and spinal cord injuries (SCI) often need highly specialized treatments and procedures like in-vitro fertilization (IVF) to conceive. However, under current law, IVF is expressly excluded from fertility services that are provided by the VA to veterans or their spouses. This is a significant barrier for veterans with SCI and genital and urinary tract injuries and as a result they have to seek care in the private sector. Senator Murray’s Women Veterans and Other Health Care Improvements Act of 2012 , which she introduced last week, would expand fertility treatment and care options for seriously wounded veterans, their spouses, and surrogates. More about the bill HERE.

“Many of these veterans dream of one day starting a family. But with the injuries they’ve sustained on the battlefield that may not be possible without some extra help,” Senator Murray said during her opening statement. “While the Department of Defense and Tricare are now able to provide advanced fertility treatment to injured servicemembers, today VA can only provide limited treatment. VA’s services do not even begin to meet the needs of our most seriously injured veterans or their families. My bill will help make real the dream of starting a family by authorizing VA to provide advanced fertility treatment to severely wounded veterans.”

In addition, Senator Murray discussed her new servicemembers and veterans mental health legislation, the Mental Health ACCESS Act of 2012, S. 3340. Vets First and the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) testified regarding their support of the legislation, which would improve oversight and accountability of mental health services in DOD and VA, expand services for family members, and make other improvements. Six other Senators also appeared at the hearing in support of their legislation, including Senators Ayotte, Boxer, Franken, Heller, Wyden, and Portman.

Senator Murray’s opening statement:

“Welcome to today’s hearing to examine health and benefits legislation before this Committee.

“Like our hearing two weeks ago on economic opportunity and transition legislation, today’s agenda is ambitious and reflects important work by the members on both sides of the aisle.

“Briefly I will highlight two bills.

“The Mental Health ACCESS Act of 2012 is sweeping legislation that improves how VA provides mental health care. I think it is fitting that we are here considering this legislation on National PTSD Awareness Day.

“Over the past year, this Committee has repeatedly examined the alarming rate of suicide and the mental health crisis in our military and veterans populations.

“We know our servicemembers and veterans have faced unprecedented challenges: multiple deployments; difficulty finding a job here at home; and isolation in their communities.

“Some have faced tough times reintegrating into family life, with loved ones trying to relate but not knowing how.

“These are the challenges our servicemembers and veterans know all too well.

“But even as they turn to us for help, we’re losing the battle. Time and time again, we’ve lost servicemembers and veterans to suicide.

“We are losing more servicemembers to suicide than we are to combat. Every 80 minutes a veteran takes his own life. On average this year, we have lost a servicemember to suicide once every day.

“But while the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs have taken important steps towards addressing this crisis, we know more must be done.

“We know that any solution depends upon reducing wait times and improving access to mental health care; ensuring proper diagnosis; and achieving true coordination of care and information between the Departments.

“The Mental Health ACCESS Act would expand eligibility for VA mental health services to family members of veterans.

“It would require VA to offer peer support services at all medical centers and create opportunities to train more veterans to provide peer services.

“This bill will require VA to establish accurate and reliable measures for mental health services.

“This Committee has held multiple hearings on VA mental health care, and we heard repeatedly about the incredibly long wait times to get into care.

“It’s often only on the brink of crisis that a veteran seeks care. If they are told “sorry, we are too busy to help you,” we have lost the opportunity to help, and that is not acceptable.

“Without accurate measures, VA does not know the unmet needs. Without a credible staffing model, VA cannot deploy its personnel and resources effectively.

“The other bill I would like to mention today is S. 3313. The Women Veterans and Other Health Care Improvement Act of 2012 builds upon previous laws to improve VA services for women veterans and veterans with families.

“My bill will create a child care pilot program for veterans seeking readjustment counseling at Vet Centers; and increase outreach to women veterans.

“We know that as more of our men and women return from Afghanistan, VA will be called upon to provide care for our most severely wounded veterans.

“After suffering life changing injuries on the battlefield, these veterans now face a future forever changed.

“Between 2003 and 2011, we know that more than 600 servicemembers experienced blast injuries that caused trauma to their reproductive or urinary tracts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even more have experienced other injuries, such as spinal cord injuries.

“Many of these veterans dream of one day starting a family. But with the injuries they’ve sustained on the battlefield that may not be possible without some extra help.

“While the Department of Defense and Tricare are now able to provide advanced fertility treatment to injured servicemembers, today VA can only provide limited treatment. VA’s services do not even begin to meet the needs of our most seriously injured veterans or their families.

“My bill will help make real the dream of starting a family by authorizing VA to provide advanced fertility treatment to severely wounded veterans.

“By authorizing these treatments, we will bring VA services in line with what DOD and Tricare already provide. It’s the right thing to do and it’s what our veterans deserve.

“I look forward to hearing from our witnesses, and thank you all for joining us this morning.”

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Senator Murray Introduces Mental Health Bill, Speaks on Senate Floor

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 00:06:00 GMT

(Washington, D.C.) – As it becomes increasingly clear that the Pentagon and VA are losing the battle on mental and behavioral health conditions that are confronting so many of our servicemembers and veterans, Senator Murray gave a speech on the Senate floor to introduce her new servicemembers and veterans mental health legislation, the Mental Health ACCESS Act of 2012. Her speech also comes as the Pentagon begins a comprehensive military-wide review, which Senator Murray urged Secretary Panetta to conduct on diagnoses for the invisible wounds of war dating back to 2001. The misdiagnosis of behavioral health conditions has been a constant problem for soldiers at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington, where to date over 100 soldiers and counting have had their correct PTSD diagnosis restored following reevaluation.

The Mental Health ACCESS Act of 2012 would require the Department of Defense to create a comprehensive, standardized suicide prevention program; expand eligibility for a variety of Department of Veterans Affairs mental health services to family members; strengthen oversight of DoD Mental Health Care and the Integrated Disability Evaluation System; improve training and education for our health care providers; create more peer-to-peer counseling opportunities; and require VA to establish accurate and reliable measures for mental health services. More about Senator Murray’s bill HERE.

Key excerpts from Senator Murray’s speech:

“Servicemembers, veterans, and their families should never have had to wade through an unending bureaucratic process, and because of the outcry from veterans and servicemembers alike the Pentagon now has an extraordinary opportunity to go back and correct the mistakes of the past.”

“We still need to make sure these mistakes are not repeated. We still need to fundamentally change a system that Secretary Panetta admitted to me has ‘huge gaps’ in it. And that is why I am here today.”

“Today I have introduced the Mental Health ACCESS Act of 2012. It is a bill that seeks to make improvements to ensure that those who have served have access to consistent, quality behavioral health care. It is a bill that strengthens oversight of military mental health care and improves the Integrated Disability Evaluation System we rely on.”

“The Department of Defense and the VA are losing the battle against the mental and behavioral wounds of these wars. To see that you don’t need to look any further than the tragic fact that already this year over 150 active duty servicemembers have taken their own lives, or the fact that one veteran commits suicide every 80 minutes.”

“This bill will help make a difference, but we need to make changes now. Today, I am asking members of the Senate from both sides of the aisle to join me in this effort. We owe our veterans a medical evaluation system that treats them fairly, that gives them the proper diagnosis, and that provides access to the mental health care they have earned and deserve.”

The full text of Senator Murray’s speech:

“Madam President, last February in my office in Seattle I sat down with an Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran named Stephen Davis and his wife Kim.

“Stephen and Kim were there to talk to me about their experiences since he returned home and about the invisible wounds of war that they were struggling with together -- every single day.

“At the meeting, Kim did most of the talking. She told me about the nightmares. She told me about the lack of sleep. She talked about confusion and the anxiety that was now a constant in their lives.

“But it was the way that she summed up her experience since Stephen returned home that struck me hardest.

“She said that her husband still hadn’t returned home.

“She said that the husband she had been married to for nearly two decades – although sitting directly next to her - was still not back from war.

“And you know what, despite the fact that we often refer to these wounds as invisible – you could see it.

“When it came time for Stephen to describe his experiences he shook as he explained how difficult the transition home has been for him, for his wife, and for their family.

“Now Madam President, the Davis family’s story is no different than what thousands of other families have faced.

“But their story does have a tragic and frustrating twist.

“You see, Sergeant Davis knew when he returned home that he had a problem with post traumatic stress – and he was courageous enough to reach out for help.

“He sought care and was diagnosed with PTSD.

“But just a few months later – after a visit to Madigan Army Medical Base in my home state of Washington - he was told something that shocked and appalled him and his wife.

“After a 10 minute meeting and a written questionnaire – Sergeant Davis was told that he was exaggerating his symptoms and that he didn’t have PTSD.

“He was told – in effect – that despite serving in two war zones, despite being involved in three separate IED incidents, and despite his repeated deployments, he was making it all up.

“He was then sent home with a diagnosis for adjustment disorder and told that his disability rating would be lowered and that the benefits that he and his family would receive would ultimately be diminished.

“Now, Madam President, if this sounds like an isolated, shocking incident – here is something that you’ll find more shocking.

“And that’s that Sergeant Davis was one of literally hundreds of patients at this Army hospital that was told the exact same thing.

“Soldiers who had been diagnosed with PTSD – not just once - but several times - had their diagnoses taken away.

“In many instances these soldiers were told that they were embellishing or even outright lying about their symptoms.

“In fact, so many soldiers were being accused of making up their symptoms by doctors at this hospital that I began to get letters and phone calls into my office.

“Soon after documents came to light showing that the doctors diagnosing these soldiers were being encouraged to consider not just the best diagnosis for these patients but also the cost of care.

“These revelations have led to a series of internal investigations that are still under way today.

“But even more importantly, they have led to these soldiers being reevaluated and to date hundreds of soldiers – including Sergeant Davis - have had their proper PTSD diagnoses restored.

“Now, Madam President, this too, could be viewed as an isolated incident.

“And in fact, when I first raised concerns that the problems we saw at Madigan could be happening at other bases across the country -- that’s exactly what I was told.

“But I knew better.

“I remembered back to this Salon.com article than ran a few years back.

“In that article a doctor from Fort Carson in Colorado talked about how he was ‘under a lot of pressure to not diagnose PTSD.’

“It also went on to quote a former Army psychologist named David Rudd who said ‘Each diagnosis is an acknowledgment that psychiatric casualties are a huge price tag of this war.

“It is easiest to dismiss these casualties because you can’t see the wounds. If they change the diagnosis they can dismiss you at a substantially decreased rate.’

“I also had my own staff launch an investigation into how the military and the VA were diagnosing mental health conditions at other bases across the country.

“And I was troubled by what they found.

“It became clear there were other cases were doctors accused soldiers of exaggerating symptoms without any documentation of appropriate interview techniques.

“They encountered inadequate VA medical examinations -- especially in relation to Traumatic Brain Injury.

“And they found that many VA rating decisions contained errors, which in some cases impacted the level of benefits the veteran should have received.

“Now, Madam President, to their credit the Army didn’t run and hide as the questions about other bases continued to mount.

“In fact they took two important steps.

“First, in April they issued a new policy for diagnosing PTSD that criticized the methods being used at Madigan and pointed out to health officials throughout their system that it was unlikely that soldiers were faking symptoms.

“Then, in May the Army went further and announced that they would review all mental health diagnoses across the country dating back to 2001.

“This in turn led to Secretary Panetta to announce just last week that all branches of the military would undergo a similar review.

“Now, Madam President, without question, these are historic steps in our efforts to right a decade of inconsistencies in how the invisible wounds of war have been evaluated.

“Servicemembers, veterans, and their families should never have had to wade through an unending bureaucratic process.

“And because of the outcry from veterans and servicemembers alike the Pentagon now has an extraordinary opportunity to go back and correct the mistakes of the past.

“But Madam President …we still need to make sure these mistakes are not repeated.

“We still need to fundamentally change a system that Secretary Panetta admitted to me has ‘huge gaps’ in it.

“And that is why I am here today.

“Madam President, today I have introduced the Mental Health ACCESS Act of 2012.

“It is a bill that seeks to make improvements to ensure that those who have served have access to consistent, quality behavioral health care.

“It is a bill that strengthens oversight of military mental health care

“And improves the Integrated Disability Evaluation System we rely on.

“Now Madam President, as anyone who understands these issues knows well this isn’t any easy task.

“The mental health care, suicide prevention, and counseling programs we provide our service members are spread out through the Department of Defense and VA.

“Too often they are tangled in a web of bureaucracy.

“And frankly too often this makes them difficult to address in legislation.

“So what I did in crafting this bill is I identified critical changes that need to be made at both DoD and VA and set up a checklist of legislative changes needed to do just that.

“Some provisions in this bill will likely be addressed in my Veterans Committee others will need to have to be addressed through Defense bills and work with the Chairs of other committees.

“But all of these provisions are critical and today I wanted to share some of the most important ones.

“Madam President, high atop the list of changes this bill makes is addressing military suicides – which as we all know is an epidemic that now outpaces combat deaths.

“My bill would require the Pentagon to create comprehensive, standardized suicide prevention programs.

“It would also require the Department to better oversee mental health care for servicemembers.

“Second, my bill would expand eligibility for a variety of VA mental health services to family members.

“This will help families - and spouses like Kim - who I spoke about earlier - cope with the stresses of deployments and help strengthen the support network that is critical to servicemembers returning from deployment.

“Third, my bill will improve training and education for our health care providers.

“Often times our servicemembers seek out help from chaplains, medics, and others who may be unprepared to offer counseling. This bill would help prepare them through continuing education programs.

“Fourth, my bill would create more peer to peer counseling opportunities.

“It would do this by requiring VA to offer peer support services at all medical centers and by supporting opportunities to train vets to provide peer services.

“And finally, this bill will require VA to establish accurate and reliable measures for mental health services.

“This will help ensure the VA understands the problem they face so that veterans can get into the care we know they can provide.

“Madam President, all of these are critical steps at a pivotal time.

“Because the truth is -- right now -- the Department of Defense and the VA are losing the battle against the mental and behavioral wounds of these wars.

“To see that you don’t need to look any further than the tragic fact that already this year over 150 active duty servicemembers have taken their own lives.

“Or the fact that one veteran commits suicide every 80 minutes.

“And while there are a number of factors that contribute to these suicides including repeated deployments, a lack of employment security, isolation in their communities, and difficulty transitioning back to their families.

“Not having access to quality and timely mental health care is vital.

“When our veterans can’t get the care they need they often self medicate.

“When they wait endlessly for a proper diagnoses they often lose hope.

“Last year at this time, I held a hearing on the mental health disability system that this bill seeks to strengthen and heard two stories that illustrate this despair.

“Andrea Sawyer, the wife of Army Sergeant Lloyd Sawyer testified about how her husband - an Iraq veteran - spent years searching for care.

“Together they hit barriers and red tape so often that at one point he held a knife to his throat in front of both her and an Army psychiatrist before being talked out of it.

“Later in the same hearing, Daniel Williams an Iraq combat veteran testified about how his struggle to find care led to him stick a gun in his mouth while his wife begged him to stop -- only to see his gun misfire.

“Madam President these are the stories that define this problem.

“These are the men and women who we must be there for.

“They are those who have served and sacrificed and done everything we have asked of them.

“They have left their families and homes, served multiple times, and protected our nation’s interests at home and abroad.

“Madam President, this bill will help make a difference.

“But we need to make changes now.

“Today, I am asking members of the Senate from both sides of the aisle to join me in this effort.

“We owe our veterans a medical evaluation system that treats them fairly, that gives them the proper diagnosis, and that provides access to the mental health care they have earned and deserve.

“Thank you.”

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Chairman Murray Introduces Bill to Provide Veterans with Genital and Reproductive Wounds with Access to In Vitro Fertilization through the VA

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 00:06:00 GMT

If forced to turn to the private sector, veterans and their spouses often have to pay tens of thousands in out-of-pocket costs to access IVF services

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, introduced legislation that will end the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) ban on providing In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) services. Murray’s bill, the Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2012, also will begin child care programs at Vet Centers for women seeking counseling, and improve outreach to women veterans.

Army data show that between 2003 and 2011 over 600 servicemembers have suffered reproductive and urinary tract trauma. The reliance on foot patrols in Afghanistan and the prevalence of improvised explosive devices has left servicemembers far more susceptible to these injuries.

“Reproductive injuries are some of the most impactful and serious wounds of these wars,” Senator Murray said today upon introduction of the bill. “VA has an obligation to care for the combat wounded. For those with such catastrophic injuries, that includes access to the fertility care they need. Veterans and their spouses are specifically barred from accessing In Vitro Fertilization services at the VA and often times have to spend tens of thousands of dollars in the private sector to get the advanced reproductive treatments they need to start a family. These veterans deserve far more.”

Veterans who have severe reproductive and urinary tract injuries and spinal cord injuries (SCI) often need highly specialized treatments and procedures like IVF to conceive. However, under current law, IVF is expressly excluded from fertility services that are provided by the VA to veterans or their spouses. This is a significant barrier for veterans with SCI and genital and urinary tract injuries and as a result they have to seek care outside of the VA. The Department of Defense currently provides access to IVF services under the Tricare program and coverage for IVF and other fertility treatments at no charge to severely combat wounded servicemembers. Senator Murray’s bill would provide veterans with the same access.

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Murray, Blumenthal, Nelson Call on Departments of Justice, Treasury to Investigate Charitable Organizations Exploiting Veterans for Own Financial Gain

Wed, 30 May 2012 00:05:00 GMT

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee joined with Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) in sending two letters regarding the Veterans Support Organization (VSO), addressing potential violations of federal law and abuse of tax exempt status by the 501(c)(3) organization. The first letter was sent to Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner, requesting an audit and, where appropriate, an investigation of the VSO for potential violations of federal law.

In a second letter, sent to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, Senator Murray, again joined by Senators Blumenthal and Nelson, expressed concern about the membership criteria used by the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Voluntary Service National Advisory Committee (NAC) to evaluate prospective member organizations and the NAC’s failure to require any standards of conduct for its members. The Senators point out the lack of internal controls for membership on the advisory committee and call for the removal of any organization that fails to conduct itself in a manner befitting the Department’s mission or that exploits its relationship with the Department for its own financial gain.

“Without a meaningful review process or standards of conduct, the Department risks legitimizing organizations engaged in questionable business practices by permitting their membership on the NAC,” the Senators write in the letter to Secretary Shinseki. “For example, the Veterans Support Organization (VSO) has repeatedly touted its membership on the NAC as a way to represent itself as a reputable organization. But throughout the seventeen states in which it operates, VSO has drawn scrutiny from state authorities, veterans service organizations, local news organizations and veterans themselves. VSO’s business practices have been characterized as dishonest, misleading and fraudulent, and in at least one instance, VSO has acknowledged breaking state law.”

The full text of both letters follow:

May 30, 2012

The Honorable Eric H. Holder

Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530

The Honorable Timothy F. Geithner
Secretary of the Treasury
U.S. Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Dear General Holder and Secretary Geithner:

We write to request that the Departments of Justice and Treasury audit and investigate, as appropriate, the Veterans Support Organization (VSO), a registered 501(c)(3) tax exempt corporation, for potential violations of federal law.

Throughout the seventeen states in which it operates, including Connecticut and Florida, VSO has attracted scrutiny from state authorities, reputable veterans service organizations, local news organizations and individual veterans. VSO’s business practices have been characterized as dishonest, misleading, and fraudulent and in at least one instance, VSO has acknowledged breaking state law. Taken together, these actions and allegations raise serious questions as to whether VSO has repeatedly and intentionally misappropriated public donations and abused its tax exempt status in violation of federal law.

At the heart of VSO’s suspect practices is its use of paid solicitors, violation of state solicitation laws and financial irregularities. VSO presents its paid solicitors to the public as veterans, providing them with camouflage-style uniforms and instructing them to keep thirty percent of their collected donations as commission. Through its use of these paid solicitors, VSO has been found in violation of state charitable contribution laws and has faced civil penalties as a result. VSO’s paid solicitors program is its single largest expenditure, with executive and employee compensation following close behind. In 2009 alone, VSO paid its chief executive officer $255,000, or over four percent of its total revenue. That same year, VSO’s spending on its paid solicitor program and executive and employee compensation was over eight times greater than its direct grant awards to other veterans service organizations, government entities, and individual veterans. Clearly, VSO’s disproportionate spending on paid solicitors and its own executives, coupled with its admitted violation of state solicitation laws and general lack of transparency and accountability is cause for serious concern. For your reference, we have enclosed a background paper that details VSO’s questionable conduct in greater detail.

As an increasing number of our servicemembers return home and transition to civilian life, it is especially critical that charity organizations act as good stewards of the American people’s goodwill and generosity towards our veterans. On behalf of our nation’s veterans and those who serve them, we thank you for your attention to this matter and look forward to your timely response detailing the steps you have taken auditing or investigating, as appropriate, VSO.

May 30, 2012

The Honorable Eric K. Shinseki
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20420

Dear Secretary Shinseki:

We write to express our concern about the membership criteria used by the Department’s Voluntary Service National Advisory Committee (NAC) to evaluate prospective member organizations and the NAC’s failure to require any standards of conduct for its members.

It is critical that organizations permitted to affiliate themselves with, or invoke the name of, the Department of Veterans Affairs conduct themselves in a manner befitting the Department’s mission, its reputation and the integrity of its work. Yet today, any organization that meets a minimum level of monetary and material support to VA facilities is eligible for membership on the NAC. No other review is undertaken by the Department to evaluate a potential member organization, nor does the NAC have in place any standards of conduct to which its member organizations must adhere.

This is both troubling and unacceptable. Without a meaningful review process or standards of conduct, the Department risks legitimizing organizations engaged in questionable business practices by permitting their membership on the NAC. For example, the Veterans Support Organization (VSO) has repeatedly touted its membership on the NAC as a way to represent itself as a reputable organization. But throughout the seventeen states in which it operates, VSO has drawn scrutiny from state authorities, veterans service organizations, local news organizations and veterans themselves. VSO’s business practices have been characterized as dishonest, misleading and fraudulent, and in at least one instance, VSO has acknowledged breaking state law.

In response to VSO’s suspect practices, we have written to the Attorney General and to Secretary Geithner, requesting that their departments investigate whether VSO has misappropriated public donations or abused its tax exempt status in violation of federal law. We expressed our concern that charity organizations must act as good stewards of the American people’s generosity towards our veterans. Surely an organization, such as VSO, which has admitted breaking state law, should be ineligible to serve on the NAC or use the Department’s name in furtherance of its own financial interest.

To protect the integrity of the NAC’s work, we ask that you review this situation and take such action as you consider appropriate. It is our hope that you will rescind the membership of VSO and any other organization that fails to reflect the caliber and character of the Department’s mission and work, and institute safeguards to regulate the NAC’s membership accordingly. We look forward to hearing from you regarding your review of this issue. Thank you for all that you do on behalf of our nation’s veterans.

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Notice: Veterans Charitable Organization Ratings

Thu, 24 May 2012 00:05:00 GMT

As an increasing number of our servicemembers return home and transition to civilian life, it is especially critical that charitable organizations supporting them act as good stewards of the American people’s goodwill and generosity towards our veterans. If you’re considering giving to a charity that supports veterans, please visit www.charitywatch.org or www.charitynavigator.org to learn more about your different giving options. Both sites rate charities using a variety of performance metrics, including financial performance, accountability and transparency