The House Makes Attempt to Right the Wrongs That Are Happening to Our Veterans

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The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) was founded on July 21, 1930, by Presidential Executive Order. It was to be an independent agency, but was later elevated to a cabinet post on March 15, 1989. The sole purpose of the VA was to serve America’s veterans and their families, and to advocate on their behalf to make sure that veterans received the care and support they deserved. However, somewhere along the way, the VA seems to have lost its purpose. Through mismanagement, negligence or outright fraud, veterans and their families took second place to greedy, self-serving administrators whose neglect of our veterans became America’s shame.

VA’s Administration of Veterans Benefits Come Under Fire

Congress has now been made aware of the plight of veterans and their families under the current administration of the VA, and has been attempting to “clean house.” During Congress’ current session, it has passed several bills aimed at addressing the problems and possible solutions in order to provide much needed help for veterans. The bipartisan bills have passed the House without any objections and will now go to the Senate and the President for final approval. Read more at www.militarytimes.com.
Regarding this legislation, the House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has stated that these bills are needed to assist our veterans in gaining access to the benefits promised them. Our veterans have been so neglected by the mismanagement of the VA for too long. It is time that our government provides a permanent fix to this situation.
McCarthy went on to say that, “It has been several years since the corruption and dysfunction at the VA was exposed.” McCarthy and other Representatives feel that veterans should not have to continue to wait for their benefits. So far, since the problems with the VA have been brought to light, very little, if anything has been done to correct this situation. McCarthy feels that it is an appalling situation that Congress must continue to pass bills to fix the countless problems involving the VA that are continually ignored. “We hear that change is on the way, but the bureaucracy remains unchanged and it is our veterans that continue to suffer and wait for the care and benefits they are entitled to.”

Transfer Post-9/11 GI Bill Is Cut

The most controversial bill to pass the House was a measure that would cut in half, the “Transfer Post-9/11 GI Bill.” The Post-9/11 GI Bill allows servicemembers to transfer some or all unused benefits to their spouse or dependent children. This cut is not favored by the veterans’ advocacy groups, but the House believes it will stop abuse by the schools who take advantage of the program by offering courses to veterans or veteran dependents that will not provide any useful skills or training to them.

Other Bills Approved by the House

The following additional Legislation has been approved by the House:

  • The Construction Reform Act. This act requires the VA to hire an assistant inspector general for construction projects.
  • The American Heroes COLA Act. This act would permanently tie veterans’ annual cost-of-living adjustments to Social Security and make their annual adjustments automatic.
  • The Career-Ready Student Veterans Act. This act would require educational programs eligible for GI Bill payouts to meet state licensure and certification standards.
  • The Female Veteran Suicide Prevention Act. This act would boost focus and oversight on suicide prevention programs, targeted at women veterans.

All of these bills are on their way to the Senate. Since we are in an election year, it remains to be seen if these bills will make it through the Senate and on to the President’s desk before the President’s term ends, or will the next President have to take this up in January 2017.

Contact Your Attorney for Answer to Questions Regarding Your VA Benefits

If you are a disabled veteran or servicemember needing assistance in understanding what disability benefits you are entitled to, contact J. Robert Surface Attorney at Law. Mr. Surface is an experienced veterans’ disability attorney in Greenville who will advocate on your behalf to help you recover the veterans’ benefits you deserve.

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