House Passes Legislation to Extend Vital Veterans Programs, Expand Elibility for Education and Training Assistance

House Passes Legislation to Extend Vital Veterans Programs, Expand Elibility for Education and Training Assistance

Representative Henry E. Brown, Jr. (R-SC) joined with a majority of his House colleagues today in passing legislation to extend a number of important Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programs benefiting and providing essential services for our nation's veterans. Under the legislation, grant and benefit programs for homeless veterans, work study positions for returning veterans, and the authority for the VA to provide government markers at private cemeteries would be extended into 2007.

Chairman Brown of the VA Subcommittee on Health took to the floor of the House to encourage his colleagues to support the legislation. "The VA is the nation's largest single provider of integrated and specialized services for homeless veterans," Brown said. "On behalf of the homeless veterans who need and depend on these services that are achieving successful outcomes, it is our duty to ensure that the continuity of these services is not interrupted."

Additionally, the legislation would, for the first time, extend education and training assistance to the families of men and women who have been permanently disabled during their military service but not yet discharged. Current policy does not allow spouses and dependent children of those in the military to access the benefits until the service members have been discharged. The VA provides the benefits for up to 45 months. The change will help families where spouses or children must become the main breadwinner after the service member's permanent and total disability.

H.R. 6314 passed the House by a vote of 393 to 0. It must still be approved by the Senate before the President can sign it into law.

http://brown.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=52798