Fort Worth Star Telegram - Not Dunning The Kin of Those Who Have Borne The Battle

Op-Ed

Fort Worth Star Telegram - Not Dunning The Kin of Those Who Have Borne The Battle

President Abraham Lincoln best described our enduring commitment to soldiers when, on behalf of a grateful nation, he promised "to care for him who shall have borne the battle."

Caring for the health and well-being of those who fought to defend freedom continues to be one of the federal government's most solemn responsibilities. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was created in 1930 to coordinate federal efforts to provide veterans the very best in health care, to make a quality education available to service members, and to help our heroes return to civilian life.

As Ranking Member of the committee that provides funding for veterans programs, I am proud that we have increased the current VA budget to a record-level $87.6 billion, up 28 percent from $68.2 billion in FY2006. This is mostly focused on improving our health care system and addressing the needs of today's soldier returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

There are also policy changes that must be made to address the needs of our veterans who are returning from the War on Terror.

One is the forgiveness of VA debts that are owed by the courageous service men and women who lost their lives in combat. Currently, the VA Secretary is required by law to notify the family of the deceased of the outstanding debt and attempt to collect it. In January, I introduced legislation to remove this debt collection. After all, the families who have lost loved ones in combat have surely paid enough and are owed our deepest gratitude for their sacrifice.

But to date, of the thousands of families whose child, parent or spouse was killed fighting for our freedom in Iraq or Afghanistan, there are 22 whose grief has been compounded by this insensitive requirement. Together, the federal debts owed by the 22 fallen service members totaled a mere $56,366. In most of these cases, the debt came in the form of education benefit payments being used for college, when they were called to active duty.

Three instances of this debt collection occurred in Texas. One fallen hero was a brave soldier from Raymondville, who was a star athlete and an exemplary student in high school. Even though he had already been accepted to a prestigious university, this young man deferred college to serve his country in the U.S. Army. While serving on his third tour of duty in Iraq, his life was cut short by a sniper's bullet. Though I have no doubt his family received an outpouring of love, support, and gratitude, they also received a $389 bill for education assistance the fallen solider had incurred prior to his death.

A second case in Texas involved an Army Sergeant from Missouri City. After contributing several years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps, this young man again felt the call of duty and enlisted in the Army. He balanced his service with efforts to further his education, and attended two different colleges with the help of VA education benefits. He interrupted his education when he was deployed to help fight the War on Terror. After serving one tour in Afghanistan, he was on a second tour in Iraq when he was killed by a bomb. Because he took a leave from school to fulfill his military service, he had $2,282 in outstanding VA education assistance payments. This financial burden fell on the shoulders of the wife and four children he left behind.

Another Texas hero was a Marine reservist and graduate of Texas A&M University. He, too, financed his education with VA assistance and aspired to become a cardiovascular surgeon. While fighting bravely in Iraq, he was killed in a violent blast. A letter attempting to collect $845 in education assistance payments arrived shortly before his wife, raising their two small children, was notified of his death.

There are families who have been similarly encumbered in Wisconsin, North Carolina, Illinois, Iowa, Connecticut, Nebraska, Colorado, Michigan, Washington, California, New York, Kentucky, Georgia and South Carolina. In nearly all instances, the families paid these debts. The widow from Missouri City, Texas bravely stated, "It was the right thing to do." Now, Congress must do the right thing by lifting this unfair burden from the families who have already paid so much, and ensuring no family is asked to pay a VA debt in the future.

On May 22, the Senate passed my VA Debt Elimination Act, which, if passed by the House and signed by the President, will stop this unconscionable practice by changing the provision in law that requires the VA to seek the collection of eligible debts from grieving military families. It is retroactive to September 11, 2001, so not a single fallen hero in the War on Terror or any future conflict suffers this inequity. To his credit, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Dr. James Peake, personally requested the law be changed. I had the bill ready within one week of his request.

We must constantly seek to improve the way our government honors those service members who made the ultimate sacrifice, as well as the families they left behind who have made silent sacrifices to safeguard liberty at home and throughout the world.

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