Military families to get job protected leave to care for injured service members-

Washington, DC – As the number of wounded in Iraq inches towards 30,000, President Bush signed legislation yesterday to provide job protected leave to family members caring for injured service members.  Introduced by Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (CA), the Support for Injured Servicemembers Act would provide 6 months of unpaid, job-protected leave to the spouse, parent, child, or next of kin of service members who are injured in the line of duty, allowing them to care for injured service members without having to fear losing their jobs.  Woolsey’s legislation, which was co-sponsored by Chairmen Bob Filner (CA) and George Miller (CA), was included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008.

“As a nation we owe a deep and resounding debt to those who have worn our country’s uniform, particularly those who have spilled their blood in our defense,” Woolsey said.  “That’s why this law is so important.  It sends a message to our wounded men and women that we will stand beside them as they deal with the physical and mental wounds of war, and obligation that we must honor for as long as they live.”

According to the 2007 Commission on Care for America’s Returning Wounded Warriors, chaired by former Senator Bob Dole and former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, 21 percent of active duty service members have family members who gave up their job to act as caregivers while they recovered from injuries.

Woolsey has also introduced legislation, H.R. 508, which would fund veteran’s benefits as an entitlement, ensuring that the VA automatically receives the necessary annual funding to care for the growing number of wounded service members.