Bright Votes to Improve Veterans Services
Congressman Bobby Bright voted in favor of four bills to improve services for veterans on Tuesday night. Each passed with overwhelming bi-partisan support. These bills make improvements to veterans’ health care, increase veterans’ disability payments, and improve access to information about educational opportunities for veterans.”Nothing is more important than honoring the men and women who have served our country, and these bills make important improvements to how we treat our veterans,” Bright said. “In particular, speeding up the VA medical care appropriations process will help ensure that veterans are never shortchanged on the health care they need and deserve. As indicated by the final vote tallies, veterans’ issues do not have a party label. I am extremely pleased that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle can work together when it comes to doing right by our veterans.”
A summary of the bills, as passed, are below:
· H.R. 1016, as amended – Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009. H.R. 1016 would authorize Congress to approve VA medical care appropriations one year in advance of the start of each fiscal year. The bill provides Congress greater ability and incentive to develop appropriation bills that provide sufficient funding to meet the best estimate of anticipated demand for VA health care services in future years. Over 40 groups, including the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, have come out in support of advanced VA medical appropriations.
· S. 407 – Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2009. S. 407 would direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase, as of December 1, 2009, the rates of veterans’ disability compensation to be the same percentage as the increase in benefits provided under title II of the Social Security Act.
· H.R. 1211, as amended – Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act. H.R. 1211 would expand and improve health care services available to women veterans, especially those serving in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The bill requires the VA to conduct a comprehensive study on barriers encountered by women veterans when attempting to access the VA health care system.
· H.R. 1172, as amended – To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to include on the Internet website of the Department of Veterans Affairs a list of organizations that provide scholarships to veterans and their survivors.