VETERANS PACKAGE WORTH PAYING FOR

Senate Assistant Majority Leader Tarryl Clark says that the proposed bipartisan $51 million package of tax breaks and assistance for veterans “is worth every penny.”

“This is one area of new government spending that Democrats and Republicans agree that we should get together to enact,” said Clark. Governor Tim Pawlenty announced that package at a press conference on Monday attended by a bipartisan group of legislators.

Clark, who co-chairs the Warrior to Citizen Campaign, said that the emphasis of assistance should be helping returning veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. “Men and women returning from their service in the Global War on Terror ought to be the priority right now,” said Clark. “The faster they can be reintegrated into civilian life through jobs and education, the better off they’ll be.”

The bipartisan veteran’s package builds on the 2007 veterans’ aid package that was passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor. New proposals include:

• A 100% exemption from state income tax for military pay and pensions;

• Increased grants for county veterans services officers;

• Increased outreach and assistance for returning soldiers;

• Incentives to businesses to hire veterans and provide assistance during military deployments

According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, about one-third of the adult homeless population has served in the military. “The VA estimates that 195,000 veterans nationwide are homeless on any given night, and about twice that number are homeless in the course of a year,” said Clark.

“The parts of this package that deal with outreach, assistance and grants to veterans service officers will help reduce the numbers of returning vets who fall into homelessness. And, while this package is far-reaching in many areas, it comes up a little short on addressing the housing needs for returning veterans and their families. Many of them are caught up in the mortgage crisis as well, add turmoil in their job situation and other factors and that can lead to the loss of a home,” said Clark.

“I hope we can address additional housing assistance and for veterans as part of this package as well, along with tackling the issues involved with the causes and prevention of homelessness among vets,” said Clark. “If there’s one thing, one point of absolute agreement between all parties engaged in this discussion, it’s that no veteran should be without a home – we can do more in this area.”

I will continue to work at protecting promised benefits earned by our veterans and military retirees, such as improvements to the military healthcare system, the GI Bill, and the veterans' claims processing system.

[110th] H.CON.RES.176 : Expressing the sense of the Congress that a commemorative postage stamp should be issued to honor our Nation's disabled veterans.
Sponsor: Rep Buchanan, Vern [FL-13] (introduced 6/27/2007) Cosponsors (106)
Committees: House Oversight and Government Reform
Latest Major Action: 6/27/2007 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

[110th] H.CON.RES.185 : Concurrent resolution commending the 1st Brigade Combat Team/34th Infantry Division of the Minnesota National Guard upon its completion of the longest continuous deployment of any United States ground combat military unit in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sponsor: Rep Walz, Timothy J. [MN-1] (introduced 7/13/2007) Cosponsors (38)
Committees: House Armed Services; Senate Armed Services
Latest Major Action: 10/2/2007 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.

[110th] H.RES.663 : Supporting the goals and ideals of Veterans of Foreign Wars Day.
Sponsor: Rep Kline, John [MN-2] (introduced 9/19/2007) Cosponsors (57)
Committees: House Oversight and Government Reform
Latest Major Action: 9/25/2007 Passed/agreed to in House. Status: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 410 - 0 (Roll no. 898).

[110th] H.R.511 : To pledge the faithful support of Congress to members of the United States Armed Forces serving in harm's way.
Sponsor: Rep Johnson, Sam [TX-3] (introduced 1/17/2007) Cosponsors (183)
Committees: House Armed Services
Latest Major Action: 1/17/2007 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Note: On 3/20/2007, a motion was filed to discharge the Rules Committee from consideration of H.Res. 220. H.Res. 220 provides for the consideration of H.R. 511. A discharge petition requires 218 signatures for further action. (Discharge Petition No. 110-1: text with signatures.)

Posted on Tue, Oct. 30, 2007 10:15 PM

Hundreds of thousands of U.S. veterans lack any health insurance, survey finds

Cox News Service

WASHINGTON | Nearly 1.8 million U.S. veterans are without health insurance, and more than half of them said they had no place to go when they were sick, researchers reported Tuesday.

The finding contradicts many Americans’ assumption that all veterans qualify for free health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The uninsured veterans are primarily low- to middle-income workers, ages 44 to 64, who are too poor to afford private insurance coverage but not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid or VA health care, the Harvard Medical School researchers said.

Analyzing data from two federal surveys, the researchers found that more than one-fourth of the uninsured veterans said they did not get needed medical care or delayed it because of its cost. Nearly half said they had not had an office visit or contact with a health professional in more than a year, and two-thirds said they received no preventive care.

The study also found that more than 25 percent of uninsured veterans said they could not afford prescriptions, and more than 20 percent said they could not afford eyeglasses.

The researchers said the main cause for the large number of uninsured veterans was the narrowing of eligibility for health care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs. In 2003, the Bush administration limited VA health-care eligibility to veterans with combat-related health problems or those making less than $30,000 a year.

“I was not surprised to hear that (1.8 million veterans are uninsured) … given the large number of uninsured in this country,” said John Rowan, president of the Vietnam Veterans of America.

There are nearly 24 million U.S. veterans, according to the VA.

The study is based on an analysis of government surveys released between 1988 and 2005. It will be published in the December issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.