LEGISLATIVE ACTION

Veterans for America Legislative Initiatives Summary

Veterans for America (VFA) encourages Congress to pass legislation and provide oversight that ensures prompt comprehensive medical support for America’s servicemen and women – especially signature wounds of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars such as traumatic brain injuries and psychological traumas. Much of the support system for America’s wounded warriors has changed little since World War II.

The United States, as a nation, must recognize that the men and women serving in today’s military represent a much broader cross-section of American society than their predecessors and that the American people, through their elected representatives, have a responsibility to provide those who serve their country with assistance that meets their needs.

VFA is working, in public and behind the scenes, to pass legislation that addresses the needs of today’s Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen. Some of these initiatives include:

S. 1271/H.R. 3620, the Homecoming Enhancement Research and Oversight (HERO) Act

This bill, which has been unanimously adopted by the Senate, directs the Secretary of Defense to work with the National Academy of Sciences to study the mental and physical health and other readjustment needs of current and former servicemembers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families and to provide recommendations on how to address these needs.

If programs are not in place to address the needs of today’s military, it will not matter if DoD and VA have the best doctors, equipment, record-keeping, and medicine money can buy. Many believe that “a veteran is a veteran is a veteran.” This could not be further from the truth. The average age of those in the active component who have been deployed since September 11, 2001 is 27, as compared to combat soldiers in Vietnam who were, on average, 19-year old single men. This is a family war. 60% of those who have been deployed have family responsibilities; 47% of those who’ve died have left families behind. 160,000 women have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan; 16,000 of those women are single mothers. The New York Times recently reported that: “A 2003 report financed by the Department of Defense revealed that nearly one-third of a nationwide sample of female veterans seeking health care through the V.A. said they experienced rape or attempted rape during their service. Of that group, 37 percent said they were raped multiple times, and 14 percent reported they were gang-raped.”

Despite these statistics, currently, VA has only two inpatient programs for women with service-connected PTSD. This is unacceptable.

The average age of members of the Guard and Reserve is 33. DoD and VA are not meeting their needs. DoD and VA must rectify an incredible disparity: members of the Guard and Reserve are half as likely to file a VA claim as members of the active component; and Guard and Reserve members are twice as likely to have their claims rejected. This is unacceptable.

These staggering examples of neglect represent a system that is ignoring the needs of our newest generation of warriors.

• Full text of S.1271

S. 1349, the Military and Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Act

This bill, sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin and cosponsored by a bipartisan group of senators, among them Sens. John Warner (R-VA), Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chuck Hagel (R-NE), Patty Murray (D-WA), Barack Obama (D-IL), and Jim Webb (D-VA), calls for the creation of a program of detection, treatment, and rehabilitative services for current and former servicemembers suffering from TBI.

This bill also establishes a program within the Departments of Defense (DOD) and Veteran Affairs (VA) that would provide individualized services, improve coordination between the two agencies, require routine brain injury screening tests for military personnel, increase TBI patient benefits, improve case oversight, and expand TBI research in the Defense Department and the VA.

H.R. 1354/S. 117, the Lane Evans Veterans Health and Benefits Improvements Act of 2007

This bill, sponsored by a bipartisan group of House and Senate members, would make any veteran who served during a period of war eligible for a mental health evaluation, treatment, and counseling services for injuries such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression.

These bills require that (1) post-deployment medical and mental health screenings be conducted within 30 days after a deployment; (2) each member, upon discharge, be provided an electronic copy of all military records; and (3) the Secretary of Defense informs members of the National Guard and reserve regarding benefits and services available upon discharge or deactivation.

S. 1196, the Mental Health Care for Our Wounded Warriors Act

Sponsored by a bipartisan group of senators, this bill calls for mental health issues such as PTSD to be treated with the same urgency as physical injuries. It would also create Centers of Excellence for PTSD and TBI to develop and implement strategies for preventing, identifying, and treating these combat-related mental illnesses.

VFA will continue to work Members of the Senate and House from both parties to see that these measures, and those like them, are passed. Those fighting for their country deserve no less. As Bobby Muller, President of VFA, has said: “When our citizens are willing to serve and, in some cases, sacrifice their lives for America, our government has a corresponding moral obligation to ensure that this willingness is not squandered.”

VFA Testimony:

• Jason Forrester - House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 7-25-07 (PDF)
• Bobby Muller — Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs 4-17-07 (PDF)
• Steve Robinson — Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, 3-13-07 (PDF)
• Brady Van Engelen — Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, 3-13-07 (PDF)
• Steve Robinson — Senate Armed Services Committee, 3-6-07 (PDF)
• VFA Press Release Supporting Byrd Resolution (PDF)