Veterans Burial Benefits Improvement Act of 2007

HR 92--Veterans Timely Access to Health Care Act--To amend title 38, USC, to establish standards of access to care for veterans seeking health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs. HR 156--Amend title 38, USC, to provide dependency and indemnity compensation to the survivors of former POWs who died on or before September 30, 1999, under the same eligibility conditions as the survivors of former POWs who die after that date--Amend veterans' benefit payment of dependency and indemnity compensation to the survivors of veterans rated totally disabled at the time of death who were former POWs. HR 315--Help Establish Access to Local Timely Health Care for your Vet (HEALTHY Vets) Act of 2007--To amend title 38, USC, to require the VA Secretary to enter into contracts with community health care providers to improve access to health care for veterans in highly rural areas. HR 339--Veterans Outpatient Care Act of 2007--Amend title 38, USC, to improve access to medical services for veterans seeking treatment at VA outpatient clinics with exceptionally long waiting periods. HR 463--Honor our Commitment to Veterans Act--Amend title 38, USC. to terminate the administrative freeze on the enrollment into the health care system of the VA of veterans in the lowest priority category for enrollment (referred to as "Priority 8"). HR 513--National Heroes Credit Protection Act--Amends the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940 to require any consumer credit information entity that receives from a creditor a negative report of nonpayment or late payment with respect to the account of a person in military service to enter a notation that the account is delinquent or paid slowly due to military service. Requires any future potential creditor that receives a credit report that includes such a notation to disregard any negative information so noted. HR 542--Require the VA to provide mental health services in languages other than English, as needed, for veterans with limited English proficiency, and for other purposes. HR 585--Amend title 38, USC, to expand the number of individuals qualifying for retroactive benefits from traumatic injury protection coverage under Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance--Amends the Veterans' Housing Opportunity and Benefits Improvement Act of 2006 to remove the requirement that to qualify for retroactive benefits from traumatic injury protection coverage under the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance program during the period beginning on October 7, 2001, and ending on November 30, 2005, the Secretary of the military department concerned must determine that the loss was a direct result of a traumatic injury incurred in the theater of operations for Operations Enduring Freedom or Iraqi Freedom (thus including traumatic injury incurred while performing other types of military service during such period under such coverage). HR 674--Amend title 38, USC, to repeal the provision of law requiring termination of the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans as of December 31, 2009. HR 704--Amend title 38, USC, to reduce from age 57 to age 55 the age after which the remarriage of the surviving spouse of a deceased veteran shall not result in termination of dependency and indemnity compensation otherwise payable to that surviving spouse. Prohibits payment of retroactive benefits. Permits eligibility for such benefits by an individual who but for having remarried would be eligible for such benefits by reason such age reduction whose remarriage was before the date of the enactment of this Act and after the individual had attained age 57 only if the individual submits an application for such benefits within one year of enactment. HR 760--Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 2007--Amend title 38, USC, to deem certain service in the organized military forces of the Government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines and the Philippine Scouts to have been active service for purposes of benefits under programs administered by the VA Secretary. HR 797; PL 110-157--Dr. James Allen Veteran Vision Equity Act of 2007--Modifies that standard for awarding disability compensation to veteran for loss of vision to require payment of compensation for impairment of vision (currently, blindness) involving both eyes due to a service-connected and non service-connected disability. Defines such impairment as a visual acuity of 20/200 or less or of a peripheral field of 20 degrees or less. Requires the VA Secretary to provide the Secretary of HHS with information for comparison with the National Directory of New Hires for income verification purposes with respect to individuals under age 65 in order to determine eligibility for certain veteran benefits and services. Requires: (1) independent verification of information so acquired prior to terminating, denying, or reducing a benefit or service; and (2) the opportunity for an individual to contest negative findings. HR 1137--Amend title 38, USC, to increase from $1,000 to $2,000 the monthly special pension paid to Medal of Honor recipients. Provides for payment of such pension to the surviving spouse of a deceased recipient as long as the surviving spouse was married to the recipient: (1) for one year or more; or (2) for any period of time if a child was born of the marriage or was born to them before the marriage. HR 1240--Direct the VA Secretary to establish a scholarship program for students and carry out a scholarship program of financial assistance for individuals who: (1) are accepted for, or currently enrolled in, a program of study leading to a degree or certificate in visual impairment of orientation and mobility, or both; and (2) enter into an agreement to serve, after program completion, as a full-time VA employee for three years within the first six years after program completion. Sets maximum assistance amounts of $15,000 per academic year and $45,000 total. Requires pro rate repayment for failure to satisfy education or service requirements, while allowing the Secretary to waive or suspend such repayment whenever noncompliance is due to circumstances beyond the control of the participant, or when waiver or suspension is in the best interests of the US. HR 1273--Amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, to exclude from gross income amounts awarded to a plaintiff in a qui tam action (a civil action brought by a private citizen on behalf of a governmental entity alleging fraud or misuse of government funds by contractors or other individuals). HR 1370--Disabled Veterans Sports and Special Events Promotion Act of 2007--Establishes in the VA an Office of National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events; headed by a Director, to establish, carry out, and promote programs for the participation of disabled veterans in approved sporting and other events. Authorizes the Director to provide a monthly assistance allowance to service-connected disabled veterans participating in an event. Directs the VA Secretary to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the USOC to provide support and reimbursement for USOC expenditures for the military paralympic program. HR 1426--Richard Helm Veterans' Access to Local Health Care Options and Resources Act--Amend title 38, USC, to provide veterans enrolled in the VA health system the option of receiving covered health services through facilities other than those of the Department. HR 1470--Chiropractic Care Available to All Veterans Act--Amend the VA Health Care Programs Enhancement Act of 2001 to require the provision of chiropractic care and services to veterans at all VA medical centers. HR 1471--Better Access to Chiropractors to Keep Our Veterans Health Act--Amend title 38, USC, to permit eligible veterans to received direct access to chiropractic care. HR 1527--Rural Veterans Access to Care Act--Amend title 38, USC, to allow highly rural veterans enrolled in the VA health system to receive covered health services through providers other than those of the Department. HR 1598--Servicemembers Credit Protection Act--Amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to protect the credit of servicemembers deployed to an overseas combat zone and to facilitate awareness of a servicemember's rights under such Act, and for other purposes. HR 1853--Jose Medina Veterans Affairs Police Training Act of 2007--To direct the VA Secretary to ensure that VA police officers receive training to interact with visitors and patients at VA medical facilities who are suffering from mental illness. HR 1900--Amend title 38, USC, to extend eligibility for pension benefits under laws administered by the VA Secretary to veterans who received an expeditionary medal during a period of military service other than a period of war--Redefines the term "period of War" for purposes of eligibility for veterans' pension benefits to include any period of active military, naval, or air service not specifically referenced for which a veteran received an expeditionary medal. HR 1901--Amend title 38, USC, under laws administered by the VA Secretary the definition of "period of war" to extend eligibility for veterans' pension benefits to those veterans who served during specified time periods in the Republic of Korea, Lebanon, Granada, or Panama. HR 1944--Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Act of 2007--To amend title 38, USC, to direct the VA Secretary to screen certain veterans for symptoms of traumatic brain injury. HR 2005--Rural Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2007--Authorizes the VA Secretary to pay travel expenses for veterans receiving treatment at VA facilities at the rate provided to federal employees in connection with the performance of official duties. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish and operate at least one and up to five centers of excellence for rural health research, education, and clinical activities; (2) establish a grant program to provide innovative transportation options to veterans in remote rural areas; (3) carry out demonstration projects to examine alternatives for expanding care for veterans in rural areas; and (4) report annually to Congress on matters related to VA care for veterans residing in rural areas. HR 2172--Amputee Veteran Assistance Act--To amend title 38, USC, to require that all Department of Veterans Affairs orthotic-prosthetic laboratories, clinics, and prosthesists are certified by either the American Board of Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics or the Board of Orthotics and Prosthetic Certification. HR 2173--Amend title 38, USC, to authorize additional funding for the VA to increase the capacity to provide mental health services to veterans qualified community mental health centers. HR 2192--Amend title 38, USC, to establish an Ombudsman within the VA. HR 2346--Directs the VA Secretary to establish a process for determining whether a geographic area is sufficiently served by the national cemeteries located in that area, taking into account, among other things: (1) the number of veterans living in the area; and (2) the average distance a resident of the area must travel to reach the nearest national cemetery. Requires the Secretary, in case of an area with insufficient land to establish a cemetery, to consider alternatives such as establishing a mausoleum. HR 2579--Amend title 38, USC, to authorize the use of VA funds in the readjustment benefits accounts and funds appropriated for such purpose to provide funding for State approving agencies. HR 2623--Amend title 38, USC, to prohibit the collection of copayments for all hospice care furnished by VA. HR 2696--Veterans Dignified Burial Assistance Act of 2007--Increases from $300 to $400 the burial plot allowance paid for veterans interred in cemeteries other than national cemeteries. Waives the requirement that, for a state to receive such allowance for the reimbursement of burial costs, it must file for such within two years after that burial or cremation of the veteran. Authorized the use of up to $5 million per year under the VA state cemetery grant program for operating and maintaining state cemeteries. HR 2697--To amend title 38, USC, to expand eligibility for veterans' mortgage life insurance to include members of the Armed Forces receiving specially adapted housing assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs--Makes eligible for veterans' mortgage life insurance members of the Armed Forces Receiving specially adapted housing assistance through VA. HR 3047--Veterans Claims Processing Innovation Act of 2007--Directs the VA Secretary to establish a work credit system for evaluating regional offices of the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) with respect to veterans' claims processing. Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop and maintain a system for processing veterans' disability compensation claims using artificial intelligence that utilized medical and military service data to generate disability rating recommendations; and (2) maintain a regional office at which all such claims are processed exclusively electronically. Provides that if a veteran who is a claimant dies before completing the submission of a claim for benefits, the person who would receive any accrued benefit(s) due to such veteran shall be treated as the claimant for purposes of completing submission of the claim. Directs the Secretary to contract with a private entity to evaluate the training and assessment programs for VBA employees. HR 3249--Veterans Burial Benefits Improvement Act of 2007--Increases the authorized allowance for burial and funeral expenses for deceased veterans who: (1) at the time of death were in receipt of veterans' disability compensation or veterans' pension benefits; or (2) were veterans of any war or were discharge or released from active military service for a service-connected disability and for whom there is no next of kin or sufficient resources to cover funeral and burial costs. Increases the burial plot allowance for veterans who, at the time of death, were receiving hospital or nursing home care in or through the VA. Authorizes the annual adjustment of such allowances by the same percentage increase as adjustments to benefit amounts payable under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act. HR 3286--Amend title 38, USC, to reduce the period of time for which a veteran must be totally disabled before the veteran's survivors are eligible for the benefits provided by the VA Secretary for survivors of certain veterans rated totally disabled at time of death--Allows veterans' disability compensation benefits to be paid to the survivor of a veteran whose service-connected disability was continuously rated totally disabling for at least one year immediately preceding death. (Current law allows such survivor right of payment if the disability was rated total for periods of up to ten years under various circumstances). HR 3415--Amend title 38, USC, to require the VA Secretary to furnish for placement a memorial headstone or marker in a national cemetery to commemorate veterans and their spouses whose remains are interred in an American Battle Monuments Commission cemetery. HR 327; S 479; PL 110-110--Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act--Directs the VA Secretary to develop and implement a comprehensive program for reducing the incidence of suicide among veterans. Requires the program to include: (1) a national mental health campaign to increase mental health awareness in the veteran community; (2) mandatory training on suicide and suicide prevention for appropriate VA employees and contractors; (3) family education and peer support counseling; (4) veterans' health assessments, counseling, and treatment programs; (5) suicide prevention counselors; (6) research on suicide prevention; (7) treatment programs for veterans suffering from substance abuse; (8) 24-hour veterans' mental health care availability; and (9) a toll-free hotline. HR 1284; PL 110-111--Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2007--Increase the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans. HR 2642; S 1645; PL 110-161--Military Construction, Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act of 2008--Making appropriations for the military quality of life functions of the Department of Defense, military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for FY 2008. HR 652; S 617--Veterans Eagle Parks Pass Act--To make the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass available at a discount to certain veterans. HR 1448; S 692--VA Hospital Quality Report Card Act of 2007--Directs the VA Secretary to establish and implement a Hospital Quality Report Card Initiative to report on health care quality in VA hospitals. Requires the Secretary, at least semiannually, to publish reports on VA hospital quality, including assessments of effectiveness, safety, timeliness, and efficiency. HR 1354; S 117--Lane Evans Veterans Health and Benefits Improvement Act--A bill to amend titles 10 and 38, USC, to improve benefits and services for members of the Armed Forces, veterans of the Global War on Terrorism, and other veterans, to require reports on the effects of the Global War on Terrorism. S 225--Amend title 38, USC, to amend the Veterans' Housing Opportunity and Benefits Improvement Act of 2006 to remove the requirement that, in order to qualify for retroactive benefits from traumatic injury protection coverage under the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance program during the period beginning on October 7, 2001, and ending November 30, 20005, the Secretary of the military department concerned must determine that the loss was a direct result of a traumatic injury incurred in the theater of operations for Operations Enduring Freedom or Iraqi Freedom (thus including traumatic injury incurred while performing other types of military service during such period under such coverage). S 383--Amend title 38, USC, to extend from 2 years to 5 years following discharge or release the eligibility period for certain veterans who served in combat in the Persian Gulf War or future hostilities hospital care, medical services, or nursing home care provided by the VA Secretary, notwithstanding a lack of evidence to conclude that their condition is attributable to such service. S 643--Disabled Insurance Act of 2007--Increase from $20,000 to $40,000 the maximum amount of supplemental service disabled veterans' insurance for totally disabled veterans. S 815--Veterans Health Care Empowerment Act of 2007--Allows any veteran with a service-connected disability to receive hospital care or medical services for any condition at any hospital or medical facility or from any medical provider eligible to receive payments under either Medicare of the TRICARE program (a DOD managed health care program). Requires the cost of such care and services to be borne by the United States. S 847--Extend the period of time following separation from service within which a veteran's multiple sclerosis must have developed to a degree of disability of 10% or more to be considered to have been incurred in or aggravated by such service during a period of war. S 848--Prisoner of War Benefits Act of 2007--Amends Federal veterans' benefits provisions with respect to former prisoners of war (POW) to repeal the currently required 30-day minimum period of internment prior to the presumption of service connection for certain listed diseases, for purposes of the payment of veterans' disability compensation. Adds the following diseases to the above listed diseases: diabetes (type 2) and osteoporosis. Requires: (1) such presumption also with respect to any disease that the VA Secretary determines warrants such presumption by reason of having a positive association with the experience of being a prisoner of war; and (2) the Secretary to make such a determination within 60 days after a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Former Prisoners of War that such presumption be established for a non-listed disease. S 882--Directs the VA Secretary to carry out a five-year pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of awarding grants to eligible entities to assist members of the Armed Forces, particularly those with serious wounds, injuries, or mental disorders, women members, and members of the National Guard and reserves, in applying for and receiving health care benefits and services from the VA and otherwise after completion of military services, in order to ensure that such members receive a continuity of care and assistance in and after the transition from military service to civilian life. Requires at least one location of the pilot program to be in the vicinity of: (1) a military medical facility that treats members who are seriously wounded or injured in Afghanistan or Iraq; (2) a VA medical center located in a rural area; and (3) a VA medical center located in a urban area. S 961--Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of WWII Act of 2007--Directs the VA Secretary to pay a monthly benefit of $1,000 to certain honorably-discharged veterans of the U.S. Merchant Marine who served between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946 (or to their survivors). Includes service in the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service. Exempts from taxation benefits paid under this Act. S 994--Disabled Veterans Fairness Act--Eliminates a $3 per round trip deductible charged by the VA Secretary in connection with the veterans beneficiary travel program (a program authorizing a travel allowance or reimbursement for beneficiaries providing transportation for veterans to obtain medical care). Directs the VA Secretary, in determining the amount of such allowance or reimbursement, to use the mileage reimbursement rates for the use of privately owned vehicles by government employees traveling on official business. S 1147--Honor Our Commitment to Veterans Act--Directs the VA Secretary to administer the health care enrollment system of the VA so as to enroll any eligible veteran who applies. (This directive in effect terminates an administrative freeze on the enrollment of veterans in the lowest priority enrollment category). S 1163--Blinded Veterans Paired Organ Act of 2007--Amend title 38, USC, to improve compensation and specially adapted housing for veterans in certain cases of impairment of vision involving both eyes, and to provide for the use of the National Directory of New Hires for income verification purposes. S 1205--Require a pilot program on assisting VSO and other veterans groups in developing and promoting peer support programs that facilitate community reintegration of veterans returning from active duty, and for other purposes--Directs the VA Secretary to carry out a three-year pilot program on the feasibility and advisability of delivering community reintegration support and services to veterans by assisting veterans organizations in developing and promoting veterans peer support. Designates the pilot program as the "Heroes Helping Heroes Program". Requires the VA Secretary to select up to 20 program participants, and to award grants to such participants in amounts from $100,000 to $300,000 per fiscal year. Requires grant recipients to contribute at least 10% of the grant funds awarded. S 1233--Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation Act of 2007--A bill to provide and enhance intervention, rehabilitative treatment, and services to veterans with traumatic brain injury. S 1265--Amend title 38, USC, to expand eligibility for veterans' mortgage life insurance to include members of the Armed Forces receiving specially adapted housing assistance from the VA. S 1266--Veterans Dignified Burial Assistance Act of 2007--Increases from $300 to $400 the burial plot allowance paid for veterans interred in cemeteries other than national cemeteries. Waives the requirement that, for a state to receive such allowance for the reimbursement of burial costs, it must file for such within two years after the burial or cremation of the veteran. Authorizes the use of up to $5 million per year under the VA state cemetery grant program for operating and maintaining state cemeteries. S 1289--Veterans Justice Assurance Act of 2007--Amend title 38, USC, to modify the salary and terms of judges of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, to modify authorities for the recall of retired judges of such court, and for other purposes. Testimony to the House of Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Veterans Preference--The value of veterans preference in hiring--To strengthen the laws and ensure that veterans seeking employment is given due consideration in hiring.

Client expense: $100,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Defense, Dept of (DOD), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), SENATE, Small Business Administration (SBA), State, Dept of (DOS), UNDETERMINED, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA)