Military Spouses Residency Relief Act

HR 952--No Title--Amend title 38, USC, to clarify the meaning of "combat with the enemy" for the purposes of service connectiion of disabilities. HR 953--Veterans Travel Tax Relief Act--Help veterans afford medical treatment and ensure proper compensation without complicated programs. HR 1197--Medal of Honor Health Care Equity Act of 2009--Assigns priority status for hospital care and medical services provided through VA to certain veterans who are recipients of the Medal of Honor. HR 1211--Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act--Amend title 38, USC, to expand and improve health care services available to women veterans, especially those serving in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, from the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. HR 1302--Amend title 38, USC, to establish the position of Director of Physician Assistant Services within the office of the Under Secretary for Health on all matters relating to the educations and training, employment, appropriate utilization, and optimal participation of physician assistants within VHA programs and initiatives. Requires the VA Secretary to ensure that an individual is serving in such position no later than 120 days after the enactment of this Act. HR 1335--Amend title 38, USC, to prohibit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from collecting certain copayments from veterans who are catastrophically disabled.--Prohibits the collection by the VA of copayments or other fees for hospital or nursing home care in the case of catastrophically disabled veterans. HR 1546--Caring for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury Act of 2009--Directs the VA Secretary to establish within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) the Committee on Care of Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury to continually assess VHA capability to meet the treatment and rehabilitation needs of veterans with traumatic brain injury. HR 2254-- Draft Bill (Senate)--Agent Orange Equity Act of 2009--Establish presumption of Agent Orange/herbicide exposure for Blue Water Navy veterans. HR 2734--Health Care for Family Caregivers Act of 2009--Amend section 1781 of title 38, USC, to provide medical care to family members of disabled veterans who serve as caregivers to such veterans. HR 2738--Amend title 38, USC, to provide travel expenses for family caregivers accompanying veterans to medical treatment facilities--Amend title 38, USC, to provide travel expenses for family caregivers accompanying veterans to medical treatment facilities. HR 2874--Helping Active Duty Deployed Act of 2009--Amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to improve the equitable relief available for servicemembers called to active duty, and for other purposes. HR 2990--Disabled Military Retiree Relief Act--Provide special pays and allowances to certain members of the Armed Forces, expand concurrent receipt of military retirement and VA disability benefits to disabled military retirees, and for other purposes. HR 3200--America's Affordable Health Care Choices Act of 2009--Address veteran concerns in national health care reform legislation with an emphasis on maintaining the independence of the VA health care system. HR 3365--Medicare VA Reimbursement Act of 2009--Provide Medicare reimbursement to VA medical facilities for items and services provided to Medicare eligible veterans for non service-connected conditions. S 546--Retired Pay Restoration Act of 2009--Allows the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability (under current law, only a disability rated at 50% or more). Makes eligible for the full concurrent receipt of both veterans' disability compensation and either military retired pay or combat-related special pay those individuals who were retired or separated from military service due to a service-connected disability. S 728--Veterans Insurance and Benefits Act of 2009--Directs the VA Secretary to grant level-premium term life insurance to veterans under age 65 with service-connected disabilities. Increases from $20,000 to $30,000 the maximum amount of supplemental insurance provided through the VA for totally disabled veterans. Removes a condition on the qualification of certain individuals for retroactive benefits from traumatic injury coverage under Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance. Increases the maximum loan guarantee amount under the veterans' mortgage life insurance program from $90,000 to $150,000, then to $200,000 after January 1, 2012. Establishes an annual cost-of-living adjustment for the temporary payment of dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) to a veteran's surviving spouse with one or more children under the age of 18. Provides eligibility requirements for the payment of a special monthly pension based on disability for veterans who already qualify for a service pension based upon age. Increases amounts of DIC payable to surviving spouses and parents of deceased veterans. Increases, and authorizes the annual adjustment of, pension amounts payable to hospitalized veterans and certain children of veterans of a period of war. Authorizes and directs the Secretary to pay a: (1) supplemental benefit for the funeral and burial expenses of veterans, making such amount $900 with respect to a non-service-connected death and $2,100 with respect to a service-connected death; and (2) supplemental burial plot allowance for veterans eligible for the current allowance. Authorizes the provision of specially adapted housing assistance for disabled veterans whose disability is due to a severe burn injury. Authorizes the Secretary to pay a supplemental benefit, for assistance in the purchase of automobiles and other conveyances, for disabled veterans currently eligible for such assistance. S 1467--Lance Corporal Josef Lopez Fairness for Service Members Harmed by Vaccines Act of 2009--Extend TSGLI benefit to service members with severe disabilities/injuries due to vaccines. HR 23, S 663--A Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2009--Establishes in the Treasury the Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund for payments by the VA Secretary of a monthly benefit of $1,000 to each individual who, between December 7, 1941and December 31, 1946, was a documented member of the U.S. merchant marine (including the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service) serving as a crewmember of a vessel that was operated in U.S. waters by the War Shipping Administration or the Office of Defense Transportation and under contract to, or the property of, the United States. Requires such individuals to: (1) apply for such benefit before October 1, 2009; and (2) not have received benefits under the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. HR 174, S691--A bill to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a national cemetery for veterans in southern Colorado region, and for other purposes--Directs the VA Secretary to establish a national cemetery in El Paso County, Colorado. HR 1016, S423--Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009--Requires, beginning with FY2011, a two-fiscal-year discretionary new budget authority for the following accounts of the VA: (1) Medical Services; (2) Medical Support and Compliance; (3) Medical Facilities; (4) Information Technology; and (5) Medical and Prosthetic Research. Requires the Comptroller General to conduct a study on the adequacy and accuracy of VA baseline model projections for health care expenditures. HR 1163, S 746--A bill to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a national cemetery in the Sarpy County region to serve veterans in eastern Nebraska, western Iowa, and northwest Missouri--Directs the VA Secretary to establish a national cemetery in the Sarpy County, Nebraska, region to serve the needs of veterans and their families in Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri. HR 1182, S 745--Military Spouses Residency Relief Act--Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to prohibit, for purposes of voting for a federal, state, or local office, deeming a person to have lost a residence or domicile in a state, acquired a residence or domicile in any other state, or become a resident in or of any other state solely because the person is absent from a state because the person is accompanying the person's spouse who is absent from the state in compliance with military or naval orders. Prohibits a service member's spouse from either losing or acquiring a residence or domicile for purposes of taxation because of being absent or present in any U.S. tax jurisdiction solely to be with the service member in compliance with the service member's military orders if the residence or domicile is the same for the service member and the spouse. Prohibits a spouse's income from being considered income earned in a tax jurisdiction if the spouse is not a resident or domiciliary of such jurisdiction when the spouse is in that jurisdiction solely to be with a service member serving under military orders. HR 3082, S 1407--Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2010--Making appropriations for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010. House Resolution 679, Senate Resolution 260--A resolution designating September 16, 2009, as "The American Legion Day"--A resolution designating September 16, 2009, as "The American Legion Day". Testimony--FY 2011 Department of Veterans Affairs Budget and Legislative priorities of The American Legion. General Support Letters--Timely passage of the FY 200 Militry Construction, Veterans' Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriation Act. General Support Letter--Increased funding for Gulf War Veteran' Illness research. General Support Letter--Legislation to automatically enroll service members returning from combat zones into The Department of Veterans Affairs health care system. General Support Letter--Better access to VA health Care for veterans residing in rural areas.\ General Support Letter--Support for advance appropriation for VA health Care.

Client expense: $6,600 · Firm income: Not reported

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

H.R. 294, a bill to guarantee loans to veteran owned small businesses H.R. 761, a bill to clarify eligibilty for burial in a national cemetery H.R. 1016/S. 423, the "Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act" (Advance appropriations for VA Health Care) H.R. 1335/S. 821, a bill to eliminate co-payments for catastrophically disabled veterans H.R. 2879/S. 658, the "Rural Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2009" H.R. 1017, the "Chiropractic Care Available to All Veterans Act" H.R. 1036, the "Veterans Physical Therapy Services Improvement Act of 2009" H.R. 1169, a bill to increase the specially adapted housing and automobile assistance grants H.R. 1182, the "Military Spouses Residency Relief Act" H.R. 2243, the Surviving Spouses" Benefit Improvement Act of 2009" H.R. 2379, the "Veterans Group Life Insurance Improvements Act of 2009" H.R. 2416 H.R. 2461, the " Veterans Small Business Verification Act" H.R. 2504 H.R. 2559, the "Help Our Homeless Veterans Act" H.R. 2614, the "Veterans' Advisory Committee on Education Reauthorization Act of 2009" H.R. 2696, the "Servicemembers' Rights Protection Act" H.R. 2713, the "Disabled Veterans Life Insurance Enhancement Act" H.R. 2735 H.R. 2774, the "Families of Veterans Financial Security Act of 2009" H.R. 2874, the "Helping Active Duty Depolyed Act of 2009" H.R. 2928 H.R. 2968 H.R. 3073 H.R. 3219, the "Veterans' Insurance and Health Care Improvements Act of 2009" H.R. 3223 H.R. 3407, the "Severly Injured Veterans Benefits Improvement Act" H.R. 3441 H.R. 3485, the "Veterans Pension Protection Act" H.R. 3544, the "National Cemeteries Expansion Act of 2009" H.R. 3554 H.R. 3561 H.R. 3577, the "Educational Assistance to Realign New Eligibilities for Dependents Act" Discussion Draft legislation concerning various homeless veterans issues S. 1495, the "Service Dogs for Veterans Act of 2009"

Client expense: $53,719 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), SENATE, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA)

Improvements in uniformed personnel programs, compensation and benefits. HR 2647, HR 2898, S 1390, HR 2346, HR 3326, HR 1478, HR 2503, HR 3320, HR 2647, S 1319, HR 2017, S 535, S 1285, HR 3203, HR 2875, S 931, HR 1182, S 475, HR 816, S 731, S 1169, S 1558, S 831, HR 208, HR 2874, HR 1182, HR 270, HR 2696, S 7, HR 2645, HR 2682, HR 2059, HR 3267, HR 2131, S 1008, S 1285, HR 3657, HR 1600, HR 3324, HR 2875, HR 2647, HR 2302 HR 1256, HR 3326, S 581, S 1543, S 1415, HR 3403, HR 1182, S 1668, S 831, S 731, SJ RES 10, HR 3554, HR 1864, HR 1592, HR 816, HR 1052, HR 972, HR 270, HR 208, HR RES 23, S 535, HR 2243, HR 809, HR 775, HR 613, S 1008, S 546, S 491, S 484, HR 2302, HR 1203, HR 593, HR 333, HR 303, HR 235, HR 484, S 581, H CON RES 64, S 1285, S 475, HR 2393, HR 2788, HR 3324, S 1106, HR 1182, HR 2398

Client expense: $129,832 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Air Force, Dept of, Army, Dept of (Other), Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Commerce, Dept of (DOC), Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Defense Finance & Accounting Service (DFAS), Defense, Dept of (DOD), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Government Accountability Office (GAO), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Joint Chiefs of Staff, Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Guard, Natl Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Navy, Dept of, Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Office of the Secretary of Defense, President of the U.S., SENATE, Social Security Administration (SSA), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), U.S. Marines, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), Veterans Employment & Training Service, White House Office