Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2004

Floor Speech

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Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 2486. This legislation includes a number of measures to improve the lives of this Nation's veterans and their families.

I also want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the chairman of committee, and the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown) and the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud), the chairman and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Benefits, and both of their staffs for their hard work in bringing this legislation to the floor.

In particular, I also want to acknowledge the work and contribution of Pat Ryan, who is retiring from the committee after many years of service.

I also want to thank the members of the other body, Senator Specter and Senator Graham and their staffs for the contributions made to this bill.

Mr. Speaker, today, we recognize the sacrifices of the men and women in uniform who served our Nation. By passing this important legislative package, this bill honors their service and provides them with the care that they have earned.

As is the committee's custom, this bill incorporates a large number of provisions from bills introduced by other Members from both sides of the aisle in both bodies. The House Committee on Veterans Affairs has a long-standing record of working in a bipartisan manner, and I am glad that we have the gentleman from New Jersey's (Mr. Smith's) leadership on his side, who has worked together with us on our side so that we can continue this practice.

I am very pleased to be a sponsor or an original cosponsor of many of the other bills which were incorporated into this package and look forward to their implementation.

Mr. Speaker, we can finalize the committee's work for this Congress. We have many accomplishments that we can be proud of, and I want to thank the chairman and members of the committee for working so hard and dedicating our work to our Nation's veterans. I urge all Members to vote for this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 2486, a legislative package encompassing a number of important measures to assist this nation's veterans and their families.

I would like to thank the Chairman of our Committee, CHRIS SMITH, and the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Benefits Subcommittee, HENRY BROWN and MIKE MICHAUD, and their staffs for their work in bringing this important legislation to the floor.

I also want to thank the Members of the other body, Senator SPECTER and Senator GRAHAM and their staffs for their contribution to this bill.

Mr. Speaker, it is incumbent upon us to recognize the many sacrifices of the brave men and women in uniform who have so gallantly served our Nation. We do so by passing legislation honoring their service and providing them with the benefits they surely have earned.

As is the Committee's custom, this bill incorporates a large number of provisions, from bills introduced by Members from both sides of the aisle and both bodies. The House Veterans' Affairs committee has a long-standing tradition of working in a bipartisan manner and I am proud that we have continued this practice as exhibited in this bill. I thank the Chairman for his leadership in continuing this tradition. This bill is truly the product of a bipartisan, bicameral effort.

I am very pleased to be a sponsor or an original cosponsor of many of the bills which were incorporated into this measure. These provisions will improve the quality of our life of our Nation's veterans and their families. It honors their service and sacrifice to this country.

Mr. Speaker, Congress has made important strides in providing quality educational assistance to servicemembers, veterans and their families; however, we have not made similar progress with respect to the job training and vocational programs available under the Montgomery G.I. Bill. Accordingly, S. 2486, as amended, is a strong step in the right direction in the job training and economic development area.

Specifically, this bill includes important provisions that would modernize, enhance and encourage greater participation in the on-job training and apprenticeship programs administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). It is important for veterans to be able to use the Montgomery G.I. bill education benefits for academic courses leading to a degree. I used VA education benefits to further my own education upon leaving military service. It is, however, just as important for the future electricians, plumbers, auto mechanics and other skilled workers to be able to effectively use the Montgomery G.I. Bill to fulfill the training and certification requirements they may need to prepare them to transition to the civilian workforce and contribute to society. The Committee worked diligently to ensure that these provisions accurately reflect contemporary industry and labor practices. We also worked with the VA to address its administrative concerns regarding these provisions. More important, Mr. Speaker, these provisions will provide veterans with improved job-training skills and opportunities under the Montgomery G.I. Bill.

I am pleased to support in the bill a measure brought forth by the other body which will allow an additional 10-year period for those Gold Star Wives and the surviving widowers of men and women who die during military service to use their education benefits. Men and women who die during military service are often in their early twenties and leave behind young children. By providing an additional 10 years, we will allow those surviving spouses an opportunity to raise their children before resuming their education. We have learned that this benefit is underutilized because surviving spouses are reluctant to resume their education while raising young children.

The bill recognizes the need for continued health insurance for those members of the Guard and Reserve who are called up for increasing periods of time. Therefore, a provision is included allowing these reservists to maintain employer-sponsored health insurance for 24 months, 6 months longer than that provided by current law.

I am pleased that a measure introduced by my good friend, the gentleman from Massachusetts, Mr. MCGOVERN, is included. He recognized that one of the biggest obstacles to effective utilization of employment-related rights for returning servicemembers is the lack of information concerning those rights. The bill requires the Department of Labor to provide employers with a notice of employee rights under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, known as USERRA, and requires employers to post those notices.

S. 2486, as amended, also includes a provision requiring a study and report on employment, retention and advancement in employment of former servicemembers. This study and report will provide valuable information and assist Congress in our efforts to do all we can to facilitate the transition of servicemembers to the civilian workforce and promote veterans' employment opportunities generally.

Several years ago, an evaluation of VA's programs for survivors found that surviving spouses of veterans who have children and who receive Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) need an additional $250 per month to maintain the same standard of living as DIC recipients without children for the first 5 years after the veteran's death. I joined the Ranking Member of the Benefits Subcommittee, MIKE MICHAUD and others in introducing H.R. 1750 to implement that recommendation. I am pleased that the bill will provide the increased benefit to DIC recipients for the first 2 years following eligibility. I regret that funding was not available to provide benefits for a longer period. Nonetheless, this is an important step in implementing the evaluation's recommendations and providing for the widows and widowers who have borne the battle and their children.

I am particularly pleased that included within this bill are provisions that would codify current VA regulations regarding additional cancers recognized as presumptively service connected under the ``Atomic Veterans'' program, and repeal a bar that prevents a veteran or survivor from applying for VA compensation, subject to an offset, if they have already received compensation from the Justice Department under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. As the son of a veteran who was exposed to ionizing radiation in the Pacific, I have long been an advocate for the ``Atomic Veterans'' program and will continue my efforts to recognize and honor their often dangerous confidential service in defense of this country.

Additionally, Mr. Speaker, I support the provision of this bill which will exclude VA life insurance proceeds from being counted as income for those very low-income survivors of wartime veterans. Currently, those who have an effective advocate are able to time their request for death pension in a manner which will allow them to give up a few months of death pension benefits in order to keep the veteran's life insurance proceeds. Those without effective advocacy often lose a year of benefits. We care for the widow and widower of those who have borne the battle by providing a simple solution to the problem identified by VA in current law.

Veterans who are disabled by reason of VA medical treatment or vocational rehabilitation activities qualify for cash benefits and grants for specially adapted housing. They are, however, denied grants for automobiles and other motor vehicle adaptations. A provision drawn from a bill introduced by Mr. REYES and myself will not allow such veterans to obtain an automobile grant.

Veterans who have lost the use of their arms do not currently qualify for specially adapted housing. I joined Mr. MICHAUD in introducing a bill to permit such veterans to qualify for this benefit and am pleased this bill includes a provision drawn from that bill.

This bill will significantly improve VA's home loan program, including home loans for Native Americans. I am pleased that provision from bills introduced by Mrs. DAVIS of California and the newest Member of our Committee, Ms. HERSETH of South Dakota, are included in the final bill.

VA's most vulnerable veterans are those who require a fiduciary to handle their financial benefits. I joined Mrs. DAVIS of California in introducing legislation to provide improved protections for beneficiaries whose benefits are misused by fiduciaries. This bill contains a number of important provisions drawn from H.R. 4032.

The bill also makes a number of improvements to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act which was substantially rewritten in the first session of this Congress.

Mr. Speaker, many provisions from this comprehensive package are drawn from bills which have been considered by the House Committee on Veterans Affairs. The bill has been enhanced and improved by measures considered by the other body. As we finalize the Committee's work for this Congress we have many accomplishments of which we can be proud.

Again, I want to thank Chairman SMITH for his leadership and his dedication to serving our nation's veterans. This is an excellent bill which will make a difference in the lives of this nation's veterans and their families. I urge all Members to show their support for the men and women who have worn the uniform in defense of our country by voting to pass this legislative package.

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