UPDATE: VFW Joins House Roundtable on VA Patient Safety

Updated Friday, Oct. 28 -- On Tuesday, VFW Legislative Director Ray Kelley joined the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health, healthcare industry leaders, and veterans’ advocates for a roundtable discussion on private sector technologies and initiatives to improve VA patient safety.

The roundtable took place in the committee’s chambers, room 334 of the Cannon House Office Building. To view a full list of participants, click here.

Subcommittee Chairwoman Ann Marie Buerkle, R-N.Y., called for the roundtable to discuss healthcare-associated infections, potentially deadly and antimicrobial-resistant infections commonly acquired by patients during hospitalizations, which infect nearly 1.7 million hospital patients each year.

Thankfully, private industry has developed new and innovative ways to combat these infections. In light of these emerging technologies, Buerkle wanted to bring together leading veterans’ advocates like the VFW and industry experts to explore ways in which VA could better utilize these new tools to prevent the spread of dangerous, yet often preventable, hospital-borne infections.

Industry leaders discussed emerging technologies that had delivered remarkable results in reducing infections, while minimizing costs for health care systems and simultaneously ensuring a manageable workload for health care practitioners.

During the roundtable, Kelley said that failing to incorporate potentially life-saving and cost-effective innovations into the VA system is akin to substandard care and wasteful spending, and that the VFW will continue to make the case that VA improve upon its ability to examine and integrate new technologies with an emphasis on providing the best possible care to our veterans.

(Image: VFW Legislative Director Ray Kelley shares VFW's thoughts on patient safety during the House VA Health Subcommittee roundtable. Photo by Daniel Elkins)

VFW Calls on Super Congress to Preserve G.I. Bill

On Friday, the VFW sent a letter to the co-chairmen of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, or Super Congress, asking the committee to preserve the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill benefit.

Both the House and Senate Veterans Affairs committees targeted the two-year-old Post-9/11 G.I. Bill for cost savings in a recent letter to the Super Congress, sparking the VFW to take action to preserve the benefit.

At a time when Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans have been hit disproportionately hard by the nation's unemployment crisis, VFW leaders view the new Post-9/11 G.I. Bill as a critical benefit to ensure that veterans can acquire the skills necessary to compete in a cut-throat jobs market.

The Veterans Affairs committees pointed out to the Super Congress that education costs in the United States rise at a rate of about six percent each year. Under the current tuition reimbursement model for the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, student-veterans eligible for the full benefit can expect their benefit to cover the full cost of an in-state, public education, regardless of tuition increases. The Veterans Affairs committees suggested scaling back on the benefit by capping tuition reimbursement rate increases at 50 percent of the total cost increase -- meaning veterans would only receive a three-percent increase to their benefit each year, lagging behind rising tuition costs.

Today, only 350,000 of more than 2.5 million eligible veterans are using their Post-9/11 G.I. Bill benefits, with many of those eligible to use the wartime benefit still serving in harm's way. Those who are still serving stand to take the biggest financial hit from proposed changes to the payment model.

Veterans have 15 years from the time they leave the military to use their benefit. Using 2011 tuition schedules for in-state, public schools, veterans who choose to utilize their benefit 15 years from now would have to finance up to 35 percent of their total education.

When the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill was signed into law in 2008, leaders in Congress championed the new benefit as a critical tool to help mold the nation's next "Greatest Generation" -- a generation of proven leaders who could help the nation recover from its economic woes.

In his letter to the Super Congress, VFW Executive Director Bob Wallace said that the committee should consider the long-term consequences, should they choose to scale back the benefit.

"Creating additional financial hurdles for veterans seeking higher education or vocational training will only exacerbate the current economic crisis -- a crisis that has already disproportionately affected our Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans," said Wallace. "

He went on to say that benefits like the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill have already been paid for through the selfless and continuous sacrifices of American service members, imploring the committee to consider all other options before looking to cut veterans' benefits.

VFW members who are concerned about preserving veterans' benefits can directly contact the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction and make your voices heard by clicking here.

Your VFW will continue to work with leaders on Capitol Hill to preserve veterans' programs for the men and women who have earned them. Check back regularly with this blog for updates.

(Image: VFW letter to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.)

EXCLUSIVE: VFW Discusses Vets' Jobs Bill with Chairman Miller

Last week, the Veterans Opportunity to Work Act passed the House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support with a vote of 418-6. The VFW has strongly supported the VOW Act from the beginning and had the opportunity to sit down with the bill's author, Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, to discuss what the bill would mean to our veterans:



The VOW Act now moves on to the Senate, where Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Patty Murray (D-Wash.) has indicated she supports passing a comprehensive veterans' jobs bill.

In September, the unemployment rate for Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans once again spiked to 11.8 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, making the bill an urgent priority for the VFW.

The VOW Act offers stop-gap training opportunities for unemployed veterans, mandates transition assistance programs, and includes metrics to track employment and education program success for veterans. The VFW voiced its support for the bill in letters and in testimony before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs this summer.

VFW leaders now encourage members to call their senators, asking them to support the VOW Act. As the story develops, check back regularly with this blog for updates.

Hill Update: House Passes Five Vets' Bills; One to go

*Update 8:00 a.m.: The House passed the VOW Act last night by a vote of 418-6.

Five of the six veterans' bills passed the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon by voice vote. The sixth bill, the Veterans Opportunity to Work Act (H.R. 2433) is scheduled for a roll call vote tonight.

The VFW can play a key role in passing this critical veterans' jobs bill, so call your representatives now and tell them to vote YES on the VOW Act.

The VOW Act offers stop-gap training opportunities for unemployed veterans, mandates transition assistance programs, and includes metrics to track employment and education program success for veterans. The VFW vocally supported each of the bills' provisions in testimony before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs in July.

The five bills that passed yesterday are:

• H.R. 2074 - Veterans Sexual Assault Prevention Act, as amended.
  
• H.R. 2302 - To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to notify Congress of conferences sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
  
• H.R. 2349 - Veterans' Benefits Training Improvement Act of 2011.
  
• H.R. 1263- To amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to provide surviving spouses with certain protections relating to mortgages and mortgage foreclosures.
  
• H.R. 1025 - To amend title 38, United States Code, to recognize the service in the reserve components of certain persons by honoring them with status as veterans under law.
  

For details on each of these bills, check out yesterday's blog posting here.

The VFW now encourages the Senate to quickly take up each of these bills, including the VOW Act, should it pass in the House tonight.

Tomorrow we will bring you details on this week's work on Capitol Hill, moving forward on critical veterans' legislation. Check back for updates.

House to Vote on Veterans' Legislation

*Update 3:00 p.m.: The House is currently voting on today's veterans' bills. Tune in LIVE on C-SPAN by clicking here.

Call your representatives now and tell them to vote YES on each of today's bills!

Tonight the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on six veterans' bills, including critical pieces of legislation for which the VFW has voiced its support over the last few months.

Among these bills are the Veterans Opportunity to Work Act (H.R. 2433), which VFW Deputy Legislative Director Ryan Gallucci testified on in July, and the Veterans Sexual Assault Prevention Act (H.R. 2074), which VFW National Women Veterans Committee member Marlene Roll testified on in June.

The VFW Action Corps is sending an Action Alert this afternoon, encouraging VFW members to call and email their representatives, encouraging them to vote in support of all six bills before the scheduled 6:30 p.m. vote.

Here is a list of the bills up for consideration before the House, including links to the full bill text, sponsors, and a brief description of each bill's provisions:

• H.R. 2433 - Veterans Opportunity to Work Act of 2011, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., Veterans Affairs Committee). This bill offers stop-gap training opportunities for unemployed veterans, mandates transition assistance programs, and includes metrics to track employment and education program success for veterans.
• H.R. 2074 - Veterans Sexual Assault Prevention Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle, R-N.Y., Veterans Affairs Committee). This bill creates clear policies that will hold VA accountable for any sexual assaults that may happen at VA facilities. It also improves rehabilitative services for veterans suffering from traumatic brain injuries, offers flexibility for state veterans' home reimbursement, ensures access to VA health care facilities for veterans utilizing service dogs, and commissions a pilot program on therapy dog use for veterans suffering from PTSD.
  
• H.R. 2302 - To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to notify Congress of conferences sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs (Sponsored by Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., Veterans’ Affairs Committee). This bill ensures oversight of VA expenses for training conferences. It also makes sure that VA must deliver information to the House VA Committee in a timely manner and ensures transparency in veteran hiring mandates for federal contractors by making veteran hiring information available to the public. Though the VFW supports the passage of H.R. 2302, VFW leaders encourage the Senate to reconsider the VA conference reporting provision.
  
• H.R. 2349 - Veterans' Benefits Training Improvement Act of 2011 (Sponsored by Rep. Jon Runyan, R-N.J., Veterans’ Affairs Committee). This bill creates a pilot program to periodically assess VA claims-processors, authorizes VA to communicate electronically with veterans who file benefits claims, protects the Second Amendment rights of veterans unless so ordered by a judicial authority, and reinstates penalties for those who levy erroneous charges on veterans seeking assistance with benefits claims.
  
• H.R. 1263- To amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to provide surviving spouses with certain protections relating to mortgages and mortgage foreclosures (Sponsored by Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., Veterans’ Affairs Committee). This bill extends Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) protections against foreclosure to 12 months and extends foreclosure protections to service members' surviving spouses. It also mandates that lenders must appoint a full-time SCRA compliance officer and provide a toll-free hotline to address service member issues.
  
• H.R. 1025 - To amend title 38, United States Code, to recognize the service in the reserve components of certain persons by honoring them with status as veterans under law (Sponsored by Rep. Timothy Walz, D-Minn., Veterans’ Affairs Committee). This bill extends the honor of "veteran" to all military retirees, regardless of active or overseas service. It does not extend new benefits to such retirees, but closes a loophole in honoring their service to the nation.
  

Last month, the House Committee on Veterans Affairs hosted a mark-up, combining several pieces of legislation into veterans' omnibus bills before passing them onto the full House for a vote. The VFW discussed each bill's provisions in detail on this blog after the mark-up.

Your VFW will track tonight's votes closely and encourage the Senate to act quickly on bills that are approved. Check back tomorrow for details.

VFW Advocates Talk Veterans' Jobs

The VFW joined the veterans' career fair hosted by the Military Officers Association of America last week at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., to speak with employers and veterans about the current job climate for veterans.

VFW Legislative Associate and Maryland National Guardsman Daniel Elkins spoke with France 24 at the career fair about the unique challenges that today's transitioning veterans face. Below is the news package, courtesy of France 24:



Veterans' unemployment has been a critical issue for the VFW for years. However, unemployment among veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have skyrocketed over the past two years, prompting VFW leaders to ramp up efforts to help veterans find work.

Unfortunately, employers often point to language gaps and skill transferability as hurdles to finding employable veterans, while veterans feel undervalued by employers for their years of real-world leadership experience and skills acquired while on active duty. The VFW is working with the military, the Department of Labor, and veterans on ways to close these gaps.

On Capitol Hill, the VFW has testified in support of veterans' employment legislation, like the Hiring Heroes Act that passed the Senate this spring and the Veterans Opportunity to Work Act that passed the House Committee on Veterans Affairs last month.

The VFW has also vocally supported extending work opportunity tax credits to hire veterans and wounded warriors, which is included in the White House's recent American Jobs Act.

The most recent figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that unemployment of current conflict veterans continues to drop. However, unemployment for current conflict veterans continues to outpace civilian unemployment, with nearly 1 in 10 still out of work in August.

Your VFW will continue to advocate for veterans' employment programs and veterans' job reforms. Check back regularly with this blog for updates.