Disabled Vets, Caregivers & Womens New Health Access & Pay

S 1963 has been signed.  It affects a wide area.  It may affect you, so, even though this is long its worth a read.

Let your Service Officers know about this (VFW, Amer Leg, DAV, AMVETS)

On April 21st, the House passed amendments to the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act (S. 1963) by a vote of 419-0, and President Obama signed the bill into law on May 5th.  The bill:

• provides support to family and  others who care for disabled, ill, or injured veterans
• enhances health services for the 1.8 million women veterans, including care for newborns for the 1st time in history
• expands mental health services for veterans and health care access for veteran in rural areas
• prohibit co-payments for veterans who are catastrophically disabled

To help meet the many hardships and sacrifices associated with lengthy recovery and rehabilitation from severe injuries of veterans, the bill would provide support services to family and other caregivers of veterans, including education on how to be a better caregiver, counseling and mental health services, and respite care for family and other caregivers of all veterans. It also provides health care and a stipend for caregivers living with severely wounded veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. 

This support is vital for the wounded veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan and their families, as about 20 percent of active duty, 15 percent of reserve and 25 percent of retired and separated members have a family member or friend who has been forced to leave a job to care for the veteran full-time,according to the Dole/Shalala report.

The bill also expands and improves VA health care services for the women who have bravely served their country, working to remove existing barriers to women veterans seeking health care, providing up to seven days of care of newborn children of women veterans for the first time in history, and enhancing treatment for sexual trauma for women at the VA. 

Touting it as "landmark" legislation that "offers bold solutions to major challenges facing service members, veterans, and their families," the bill is supported by the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, AMVETS, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Wounded Warrior Project and the National Military Family Association.

This landmark measure builds on the significant accomplishments for veterans, troops, and military families over the last three years under the New Direction Congress – including the New GI Bill, the building of more military child care centers and better military family housing, and historic investments to strengthen quality veterans’ health care.  Learn more»

The Senate passed its version of the bill on November 19, by a vote of 98-0 after Sen. Tom Coburn held it up. The House passed the Caregiver Assistance and Resource Enhancement Act (HR 3155) by voice vote on July 27 and Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act (HR 1211) by a vote of 408-0 on June 23.

More on the provisions in the legislation:

Caregiver Assistance

Caregivers of OEF/OIF Veterans

• Caregivers are defined as family members (parent, spouse, child, step-family member, extended family member) or non-family members who live with the veteran.  
• The caregiver and eligible OEF/OIF veteran must submit a joint application and once accepted, the caregiver receives the following support services:
  • Training and education;
  • Counseling and mental health services;
  • Respite care of no less than 30 days annually, including 24 hour in-home respite care;
  • Lodging and subsistence payments when accompanying the veteran on medical care visits;
  • Health care through the CHAMPVA program (Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs); and
  • Monthly financial stipend as determined appropriate by the Secretary based on the amount and degree of personal care services provided, and no less than the monthly amount of a commercial home health care entity.

Caregivers of Veterans of Any Era

• Caregivers are defined in the same manner as that of the support program for caregiver of OEF/OIF veterans. However, there is no residency requirement for non-family members. 
• Support services for caregivers of veterans of any era include the following:
• Training and education;
• Counseling and mental health services;
• Respite care including 24 hours in-home respite care;
• Information on the support services available to caregivers through other public, private, and non-profit agencies.

WOMEN VETERANS HEALTH CARE

The bill will expand and improve VA health care services for the 1.8 million women who have bravely served their country.  It requires the VA to:

• Conduct a study of barriers to women veterans seeking health care,
• Educate and train mental health professionals caring for veterans with sexual trauma;
• Implement a reintegration and readjustment pilot program;
• Establish a child care pilot program for women receiving regular and intensive mental health care and intensive health care services, or who are in need of such services but do not seek care due to the lack of child care services;
• Provide up to seven days of post-delivery health care to a new born child of a women veteran. 

RURAL HEALTH IMPROVEMENTS

• Improves health care for veterans living in rural areas, including by expanding transportation for veterans to local VA hospitals and clinics through VA grants to local Veterans Service Organizations.

MENTAL HEALTH CARE

• Provides access to counseling and other mental health centers to any member of the Armed Forces (including members of the National Guard and Reserves, who served during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom but who are no longer on active duty) and
• Requires the VA to conduct a veterans’ suicide study.

OTHER HEALTH CARE ISSUES

• Prohibits the VA from collecting copayments from veterans who are catastrophically disabled.
• Creates a pilot program, which would provide specified dental services to veterans, survivors, and dependents of veterans through a dental insurer.
• Requires the VA to provide hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care for certain Vietnam-era veterans exposed to herbicide and Gulf-War era veterans who have insufficient medical evidence to establish a service-connected disability.
• Provides higher priority status for certain veterans who are Medal of Honor recipients.

HOMELESS VETERANS

• Expands the organizations offering transitional housing and other support for homeless veterans that can receive grants or per diems from the VA, which is particularly important to veterans in rural areas.

What Veterans’ Organizations Are Saying About the Bill:

Veterans of Foreign Wars

“the bill will make a profound difference to veterans.” 3/22/10

The American Legion

“…encompasses a number of pressing legislative initiatives supported by… nearly every major veterans service organization in the country... this legislation offers bold solutions to major challenges facing service members, veterans, and their families.” 3/16/10

Disabled American Veterans

“…improve and restore the lives of untold numbers of sick and disabled veterans, and those who care from them in their homes… For the first time in history, VA will be authorized to aid a women veteran with up to seven days of necessary post-natal care of a newborn – an issue that has been pending in Congress for a decade – and to provide new and enhance health services to women veterans in general.” 3/18/10

AMVETS

“…goes a long way to ensure severely disabled veteran and their family will have the resources needed to provide quality care inside their own homes… ensure that our rural and remote veterans will have access to care through a variety of initiatives.” 3/23/10

Wounded Warriors Project

“At its core, the legislation would ensure that VA will meet the critical needs experienced by families of severely wounded warriors.” 3/16/10

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SBP and DIC Offset Elimination

SBP and DIC Offset Elimination: The offset became law 111-95 No more offset of SBP or DIC

       S.535 : SBP DIC Offset Elimination. A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to repeal requirement for reduction of survivor annuities under the Survivor Benefit Plan by veterans' dependency and indemnity compensation, and for other purposes. Companion Bill H.775.

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VFW Cites Backlog, Health Care as Top Legislative Priorities

Washington D.C.,March 9, 2010 — In his opening statement today before a joint hearing of the Senate and House Veterans Affairs Committees, Thomas J. Tradewell Sr., the national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S., testified about his organization's concern with the national health care debate, and whether or not it will impact the health care programs currently provided to veterans and military retirees by the VA and the military’s Tricare system. "Many promises have been made — by the president and by this Congress — that VA and Tricare will be protected, but a free press and an even freer Internet continue to fuel speculation that both health systems will be lost and/or absorbed into a larger national plan," said Tradewell, who leads the nation’s largest and oldest major combat veterans’ organization. "America’s veterans and military retirees look to you — our champions in Congress — to protect both programs, and to do so vocally at every opportunity." In his testimony, the combat-wounded Vietnam veteran from Sussex, Wis., addressed the number one VFW legislative issue: Fix the backlog of more than 1.1 million individual claims and appeals for compensation, pension and education benefits currently plaguing the Veterans Benefits Administration. "The most important issue facing America’s veterans today is the unacceptable VA claims backlog, and an equally unacceptable processing error rate," said Tradewell, referring to a system wide 17-percent average error rate that soars to 25, 29 and 38 percent in the VA Regional Offices in Virginia, Alaska and Maryland, respectively. "This massive backlog has resulted in a six-month average wait for an initial rating decision, and a two-year average wait for an appeal decision. That is completely unacceptable, [as is] asking a veteran to wait half of a year or more for a rating decision that could have a one-in-three chance of being incorrect." The VFW national commander commended VA Secretary Eric Shinseki for making the reform of the VA claims system a top VA priority, but cautioned against "silver bullet" fixes that could prove more harmful than helpful to veterans. "We know that any single plan to make the overall claims process simpler could occur at the expense of the rights and benefits earned by veterans, their dependents and survivors," he said. "A quick fix plan is simply unacceptable, because fixing the backlog will require thoughtful solutions to avoid harming veterans and exacerbating the problem. "VBA is the key to everything VA does, so the VFW will continue to offer its expertise to the VA and your committees so that we can solve this backlog problem together," he said. "Veterans have grown tired of the excuses. They want and deserve action. The VFW wants to help." Other VFW high interest issues addressed ranged from the proper care and treatment of returning servicemen and women with traumatic injuries to mind and body, the need for an integrated information technology system to bring the VA into the 21st century, veterans’ unemployment and homelessness, and military caregivers and survivor benefits. Tradewell also provided testimony regarding further traumatic brain injury research and treatment, suicide awareness and prevention, and women veterans' health care needs. Joining Tradewell at the hearing were VFW and Ladies Auxiliary leaders from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Europe, the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean.

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