VFW Testifys on Various Veterans Bills

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VFW Washington Weekly
April 28, 2006

In This Issue:
1. VFW Testifies on Various Veterans’ Bills
2. Senate Vet Committee Looks at VA Research Dollars
3. Senate Reconfirms VA Benefits Under Secretary
4. Update on Tricare Fees

1. VFW Testifies on Various Veterans’ Bills
Yesterday, the VFW testified before the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity. Under discussion were several bills offering improvements in benefits, employment and education aimed at raising the standard of living for veterans and their families.

VFW-supported bills include:
**HR 4791, The Disabled Veterans Adaptive Housing Improvement Act increases specially adaptive housing grants from $50,000 to $60,000 and specially adapted features in a home from $10,000 to $12,000. It also requires annual adjustments to reflect increases in residential construction costs.
**Veterans Employment State Grant Improvement Act would establish more guidelines and qualifications for DVOPs and LVERs and revise guidelines for state and local issued contracts.
**Veterans Licensing and Credentialing Act would create a Veterans’ Advisory Committee on certification, credentialing and licensure as a part of the Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service.

Representatives from VA and the Department of Labor were also on hand to give their opinion on the bills.

For more information and our testimony visit the House Veterans’ Affairs website at: http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/index.html

2. Senate Vet Committee Looks at VA Research Dollars
On Thursday, the Senate Veterans Affairs’ Committee held a hearing to discuss VA’s Research Program. The hearing highlighted VA’s history of accomplishment in medical research, current challenges and the outlook for future research development needs. Earlier in the week, Chairman Larry Craig (R-ID) and Ranking Member Daniel (D-HI) Akaka endorsed a letter to the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and VA urging an increase in funding for VA’s Medical and Prosthetic Research program. The President’s FY 2007 budget calls for a proposed $13 million dollar decrease in VA’s research funding.

For more on the hearing visit the Senate Veterans’ Affairs website at:
http://veterans.senate.gov/index.cfm...urrentHearings

3. Senate Reconfirms VA Benefits Under Secretary
The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee reconfirmed Admiral Daniel L. Cooper to continue his tenure as Under Secretary for Benefits for VA. Admiral Cooper has been undersecretary since his first confirmation in March of 2002.
As Under Secretary, he directs the Veterans Benefits Administration through regional offices in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. He is responsible for the administration of benefits provided by the VA to veterans and dependents, including compensation, pension, education, home loan guaranty, vocational rehabilitation, and life insurance.

4. Update on Tricare Fees
This week, the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel rejected the Administrations’ proposal which called for an increase in annual enrollment fees, deductibles and drug co-payments for military retirees under the age of 65 who participate in the military’s TRICARE health care system. In addition to restoring all the funding for TRICARE, the committee is calling for independent studies to review the issue.

Chairman of the Subcommittee, Representative John McHugh (R-NY), said the committee would seek ways to reduce military health care costs after the reviews are done. The VFW strongly opposes any increase in Tricare fees and has asked its membership to urge Congressional support for HR 4949 “The Military Retirees’ Health Care Protection Act," HR 4949 would end DoD’s attempt to shift health care costs to military retirees under age 65 and transfer the authority for future military health care program increases and enhancements to Congress.

To read our Alert and take action click here: http://capwiz.com/vfw/issues/alert/?...585061&type=CO