PTSD/TBI Guaranteed Review For Heroes Act

HR 1751 DREAM Act HR 1701 STEM Education Coordination Act of 2009 HR 2043 Nurse Education, Expansion and Development Act of 2009 HR 2276 Improved Nutrition & Physical Activity Act or the "Impact Act" HR 4122 Graduation for All Act HR 4181 Graduation Promise Act fo 2009 HR 4321 Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act HR 4968 Awards Grants by NSF in STEM HR 5096 Diverse Teachers Recruitment Act HR 5120 Veterans Employment Assistance Act S 497 Nurse Education, Expansion and Development Act (NEED) S 729 DREAM Act S 790 Health Access and Health Professions Supply Act of 2009 S 968 Secondary School Innovation Act S 1161 Nurse Faculty and Physical Therapist Education Act of 2009 S 1180 Senior Executive Service Assurance Act of 2009 S 2754 National STEM Education Tax Incentive for Teachers Act ofs 2009 S 3234 Veterans Employment Assistance Act of 2010 S 3242 Teacher Principal Improvement Act

Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: $75,000

Government targets: Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Education, Dept of, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Housing & Urban Development, Dept of (HUD), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Science Foundation (NSF), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), SENATE, State, Dept of (DOS), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), White House Office

H.R. 667, Heroes at Home Act of 2009 H.R. 952, COMBAT PTSD Act H.R. 1211, Women Veterans Health Improvement Act H.R. 1535, Improving Diagnosis of PTSD H.R. 1701, PTSD/TBI Guaranteed Review for Heroes Act S. 711/H.R. 2058, Post-Deployment Health Assessment Act H.R. 1308, Veterans Mental Health Screening and Assessment Act H.R. 3082/S. 1407, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations FY 2010 S. 423, Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009 S. 728, Veterans Benefits Enhancement Act of 2009 S. 252, Veterans Health Care Authorization Act of 2009 H.R. 2505, the Reaching Rural Veterans Through Telehealth Act S. 1963, Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act

Client expense: $190,000 · Firm income: Not reported

LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY GOALS FOR VETERANS: [See Next Page] Contacts made on the following legislative initiatives: HR 23 -- Belated Thank You to the Merchant Marines of WWII Act would grant a $1,000 monthly benefit to individuals who served in the Merchant Marines between 12/07/41 and 12/31/46; HR 249 --The Tax Relief and Fulfilling Our Obligation to Patriotic Soldiers Act by not taxing enlistment and re-enlistment bonuses, legislation would enhance bonuses that attract new recruits into military specialties that are in high demand; HR 819 -- legislation which provides Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits to surviving spouses of former prisoners of war (POW), which also seeks to extend the receipt of DIC benefits to surviving spouses of former POWs who died on or before September 30, 1999 and will ease the financial strain left on survivors of POWs who do not currently qualify for DIC benefits; HR 1168 -- The Veterans Retraining Act would provide veterans with the training they need to seek meaningful employment; HR 1169 -- legislation that would amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the amount of assistance provided by VA to disabled veterans for specially adapted housing, automobiles and equipment; HR 1209 -- The Medal of Honor Commemorative Coin Act; HR 1295 -- The Service Members' Home Buyer Tax Credit Extension Act would ensure that members of the Armed Forces are not denied the first-time homebuyer tax credit granted to them under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as a result of theircurrent station outside of the United States; HR 1681 -- The Veterans Transitional Assistance Act would rationalize the transition process from DOD to VA; HR 1701 -- The PTSD/TBI Guaranteed Review for Heroes Act; HR 1821 -- The Equity for Injured Veterans Improvement Act to give rise to many befeficial improvements tot h Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) assistance program by providing childcare assistance to single-parent veterans with children and extendining the period of eligibility from 12 years to a more adequate 15 years; HR 2017 -- legislation that would grant the Military Officer Association of America (MOAA) a federal charter; HR 2082 -- The Military and Overseas Voting Enhancement Act to improve voting access and absentee ballot accountability for members of the armed services; HR 2126 -- The Correspondence With Our Heroes Act would allow active duty Armed Forces members serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as service members who are hospitalized due to injury or disease incurred in Iraq and Afghanistan, to receive one piece of mail per month free of charge to the sender; HR2243 -- The Surviving Spouses Benefit Improvement Act would raise the amount of VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) to an amount equal to 55% of VA disability compensation for a 100% disabled veteran; HR 2352 -- The Job Creation Through Entrepreneurship Act would expand the Small Veteran Business Center program within the Small Business Administration to serve as an outlet and resource for veteran business owners; HR 2379 -- The Veterans Group Life Insurance Act would allow those covered by Veterans Group Life Insurance (VGLI) to purchase additional coverage once every five years; HR 2393 -- The Military Voting Protection (MVP) Act would ensure that the ballots cast by service members stationed overseas are delivered to the appropriate state election officials by the jurisdiction's statutory deadline, while safeguarding voter privacy and ballot secrecy; HR 2410 -- would increase the likelihood that qualiofied individuals would become employees of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of State; HR 2456 -- The Veterans Education Tuition Support Act; HR 2562 -- Service Members Home Ownership Act would extend the first-time homebuyer credit to members of the Armed Forces who are deployed during 2009; HR 2874 -- Helping Active Duty Deployed Act would discharge the student loans of students called to active duty. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- S. CON. RES. 20 would honor the World War 1 (WWI) veterans by permitting the last WWI veteran to lie in the rotunda of th Capitol upon his death; S. 263 -- the Servicemembers Access to Justice Act would close several loopholes and strengthen the protections in current law to ensure that servicemembers' and veterans' employment and reemployment rights are effectively enforced under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA); S. 315 -- The Veterans Outreach Improvement Act would increase congressional oversight of the VA's outreach activities and authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to work with state, local and community-based organizations to perform outreach; S. 407 -- The Veterans Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act alows our disaled veterans and their dependents to keep pace with the rising costs of goods and services; S. 514 -- The Veterans Rehabilitation and Training Improvements Act would require the amount of subsistence allowance paid to a veteran for a month n which the veteran participates in a VA rehabilitation program to be equal to the national average of the basic allowance for housing paid to a member of the Armed Forces in pay grade E-5; S. 663 -- The Belated Thank You to the Merchant Marines of WWII Act would amend Title 46 USC to provide benefits to certain individuals who served in the Merchant Marines during WWII; S. 691/S. 746 -- to allow the VA to establish national cemeteries in Eastern Nebraska and southern Colorado; S. 728 -- The Veterans Insurance and Benefits Enhancement Act addresses a broad range of veterans benefits and improves services for both young and old veterans; S. 820 -- would improve the lives of the the nation's most seriously disabled service-connected veterans; S 842 -- provides needed foreclosure protection for military families; S. 847 -- would allow those receiving Dependents Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits to be exempt from the 48-month total educational benefits restriction; S. 1015 -- would enhance disability compensationf or disabled veterans in need of aid and attendance for residuals of tramatic brain injury and for disabled veterans with difficulties using prostheses; S. 1106 -- Selected Reserve Continuum of Care Act would provide medical and dental treatment for members of the Guard and Reserve to guarantee medical readiness.

H.R. 667, Heroes at Home Act of 2009 H.R. 952, COMBAT PTSD Act H.R. 1211, Women Veterans Health Improvement Act H.R. 1535, Improving Diagnosis of PTSD H.R. 1701, PTSD/TBI Guaranteed Review for Heroes Act S. 711, H.R. 2058 Post-Deployment Health Assessment Act H.R. 1308, Veterans Mental Health Screening and Assessment Act H.R. 3082, S. 423 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations FY 2010 S. 728, Veterans Benefits Enhancement Act of 2009 S. 252, Veterans Health Care Authorization Act of 2009 H.R. 2505, the Reaching Rural Veterans Through Telehealth Act S. 1963, Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act Proposed Rule; Stressor Determinations for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; 74 Federal Register 42617 (August 24, 2009).

Client expense: $120,000 · Firm income: Not reported

H.R. 667, Heroes at Home Act of 2009 H.R. 952, COMBAT PTSD Act H.R. 1211, Women Veterans Health Improvement Act H.R. 1535, Improving Diagnosis of PTSD H.R. 1701, PTSD/TBI Guaranteed Review for Heroes Act S. 711, H.R. 2058 Post-Deployment Health Assessment Act H.R. 1308, Veterans Mental Health Screening and Assessment Act S. 1099, Independent Health Record Trust Act of 2009 H.R. 3082, S. 423 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations FY 2010 S. 728, Veterans Benefits Enhancement Act of 2009 S. 252, Veterans Health Care Authorization Act of 2009

Client expense: $120,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA)

H.R. 667, Heroes at Home Act of 2009 H.R. 952, COMBAT PTSD Act H.R. 1211, Women Veterans Health Improvement Act H.R. 1535, Improving Diagnosis of PTSD H.R. 1701, PTSD/TBI Guaranteed Review for Heroes Act S. 711, H.R. 2058 Post-Deployment Health Assessment Act H.R. 1308, Veterans Mental Health Screening and Assessment Act S. 1099, Independent Health Record Trust Act of 2009 H.R. 3082, S. 423 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations FY 2010 S. 728, Veterans Benefits Enhancement Act of 2009 S. 252, Veterans Health Care Authorization Act of 2009

Client expense: $120,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), SENATE, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA)

PL 111-37--Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2009--Directs the VA Secretary of to increase, as of December 1, 2009, the rates of veterans' diability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled adult children, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children. Requires each such increase to be the same percentage as the increase in benefits provided under the title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act, on the same effective date. 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 Operations 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 of Veterans Affairs for Health--Establishes within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) of the VA the position of Director of Physician Assistant Services, who shall report to the VHA's Under Secretary for Health on all matters relating to the education 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 1681--No Title--Improve coordination between the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs during the seamless transition process of injured servicemembers and veterans. HR 1701--PTSD/TBI Guaranteed Review for Heroes Act--Establish special review board to consider discharge upgrade petitions from former servicemembers diagnosed with PTSD and TBI separated with less than honorable discharges and also mandate that current members suffering from these conditions receive a complete evaluation by a Physical Evaluation Board prior to discharge. HR 1821--Equity for Insured Veterans Act of 2009--Increase dollar amounts of VA vocational rehabilitation and employment assistance benefits. HR 2583--No Title--Improve health care for women 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 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. S 315--Veterans Outreach Improvement Act of 2009--Directs the Secretary of Veterans to establish a separate account for the funding of outreach activities of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and a separate subaccount for the funding of outreach activities of the Veterans Health Administration, the Veterans Benefits Administration, and the National Cemetery Administration. S 347--Amend title 38, USC, to allow the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to distinguish between the severity of a qualifying loss of a dominant hand and a qualifying loss of a non-dominant hand for purposes of traumatic injury protection under Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance, and for other purposes.--Amend title 38, USC, to allow the VA Secretary to distinguish between the severity of a qualifying loss of a dominant hand and qualifying loss of a non-dominant hand for purposes of traumatic injury protection under Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance, and for other purposes. S 475--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 servicemember'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 servicemember in compliance with the servicemember's military orders if the residence or domicile is the same for the servicemember 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 servicemember serving under military orders. S 514--Veterans Rehabilitation and Training Improvements Act of 2009--Requires the amount of subsistence allowance paid to a veteran for a month in which the veteran participates in a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) rehabilitation program to be equal to the national average of the basic allowance for housing paid to a member of the Armed Forces in pay grade E-5. Authorizes the VA Secretary to reimburse a veteran who successfully completes a VA rehabilitation program for costs incurred as a direct consequence of program participation, including child care expenses. Repeals the 2600 per-fiscal-year limit on veterans who may participate in the VA program of independent living services and assistance. 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 691--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. S 711--No Title--Require mental health screenings for members of the Armed Forces who are deployed in connection with a contingency operation. 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 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. S 820--Veterans Mobility Enhancement Act of 2009--Increases from $11,000 to $22,500 the amount authorized to be provided by the VA to certain disabled veterans for the purchase of an automobile and any necessary adaptive equipment. HR 775, S 535--Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act--To repeal the requirement for reduction of survivor annuities under the Survivor Benefit Plan to offset the receipt of veterans dependency and indemnity compensation. HR 1016, S 423--Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009--Requires, beginning with FY 2011, 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 3082, S 1407--Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act of 2010--Making appropriations for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010. HR 1037, 1098, 1168, 1172, 1821, 1879, 2180--Legislation of various bills--Enhance benefits and services to veterans and their families. Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Services-Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Services--Provide Vocational Rehabilitation assistance to veterans with disabilities incurred during military service. General Testimony--VA Claims Backlog. General Testimony--Assessing Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) and the future of VA Health Infrastructure. General Testimony--Funding the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs of the future. Legislative Testimony (Senate Veterans Affairs Committee)--Testimony on the following benefits-related bills: S 263, 315, 347, 407, 475, 514, 691, 663, 728, 746, 820, 842, 847. Draft Legislation--Provide for the internment of unclaimed cremated remains of veterans. General Support Letter--Applaud Conference Committee for the Budget Resolution FY 2010 recommendation for $53.4 billion in discretionary funding (an increase of $5.6 billion above current funding level) for VA. Legislative Testimony (House Veterans Affairs Committee)--Testimony on the following health care-related bills: HR 2379, 2713, 2774, 2968, 2770, 2898, 1293, 1197, 1302, 1335, 1546, 2374, 2738. General Support Letter--Support for full appropriations of the authorized $10 million for the 2010 United States Paralympic Integrated Adaptive Sports Program. General Support Letter--Support for the request of utilization of Value Based insurance Design by Secretary of Veterans Affairs to reduce copayments charged to veterans for specified conditions.

See Next Page For Listing Support for S.Amdt. 742, Advanced funding for VHA; Advocate against TRICARE fee increase for next fiscal year in Presidents budget; Garnered support for advanced Appropriations for VA Health Care; H.R.270-The TRICARE Continuity of Coverage for National Guard and Reserve Families Act of 2009, all provisions; H.R. 1701 PTSD/TBI Guaranteed Review for Heroes Act; H.R. 111 Establish a select committee on POW/MIA Affairs; H.R. 1313 Troops to Teacher Improvement Act of 2009, all provisions; Support for MS research under the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) by the DOD; Support for H.R. 775 and S. 535- A bill to amend Title 10 of the US Code, to repeal the requirement for reduction of survivor annuities under the Survivor Benefit Program by Veterans Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, and for other purposes; Support for H.R. 1016, Veterans Health Care Reform and Transparency Act of 2009, all provisions; Supporting S. 831- National Guard and Reserve Retired Pay Equity Act for 2009; H.R. 2243- Surviving Spouses Benefit Improvement Act of 2009; Supporting H.R. 613 - The Military Retiree Survivor Comfort Act; H.R. 2254- Agent Orange Equity Act of 2009; HR 1211 - Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act; HR 293 - Homeless Women Veterans and Homeless Veterans with Children Reintegration Grant Act of 2009; HR 1026 - Fairness for Military Recruiters Act; Appropriations in FY10 DOD Appropriations to fund P.L. 110-181, Vision Center of Excellence, (passed in 110 Congress without funding) (Funding urged for 2010 Defense Appropriations Act); HR 108 & HR 1818, Disabled Veterans Commissary and Exchange Store Benefits Act , all provisions Support for Uniformed Services Former Spouse Protection Act (USFSPA) , all provisions; S.669 - Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act, all provisions; HR 2562- Service Members Home Ownership Act of 2009, all provisions; HR 1809 - To amend title 10, USC, to expand the geographical coverage of TRICARE Prime to include Puerto Rico and Guam, all provisions; Support to keep Military and VA health care systems as unique programs and not include them into a national health care system; Support for funding for migraine and posttraumatic headache in veterans be funded in the DOD appropriations budget. HR 1016, The Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act, all provisions; Support for HR 731 Jennys Law, all provisions.

Improvements in uniformed personnel programs, compensation and benefits. S. 475, S.581, S. 1169, S.478, S.1406, S.1026, S.644, S.831, S.731, S.944, S.1072, S.1008, S.535, S.546, S.559, S.711, S.832, S.354, S.614, S.1106, S.731, S. 546, S.491, S. 1390, S.484, S.1169, S.475, S.423, S.157, S.581, S.1054, S. 1169, S.J. Res. 10, H.R. 613, H.R. 1256, H.R. 1804, H.R. 2243, H.R. 1633, H.R. 1283, H.R. 775, H.R. 2647, H.R. 1182, H.R. 1600, H.R. 2997, H.R. 816, H.R. 2393, H.R. 2561, H.R. 2562, H.R. 2419, H.R. 1809, H.R. 208, H.R. 270, H.R. 972, H.R. 1604, H.R. 2510, H.R. 1864, H.R. 2200, H.R. 1592, H.R. 1701, H.R. 2302, H.R. 2419, H.R. 1701, H.R. 626, H.R. 2059, H.R. 1222, H.R. 2456, H.R. 2014, H.R. 2583, H.R. 2647, H.R. 2398, H.R. 1052, H.R. 809, H.R. 2302, H.R. 1203, H.R. 593, H.R. 303, H.R. 333, H.R. 235, H.R. 484, H.R. 1182, H.R. 2017, H.R. 2014, H.R. 1016, H.R. 1052, H.R. 1182, H.R. 1804, H.R. 2302, H.R. 2346, H.R. 2510, H.R. 2647, H.R. 2059, H.R. 569, H.R. 2456, H.R. 1026, H.R. 2562, H Res. 23, H Con. Res. 64

Client expense: $609,696 · Firm income: Not reported

Improving survivor benefits for widoes of deceased veterans and to restore and improve veterans benefits. S. 423, S. 546, S. 535, S. 801, S. 407, S. 728, S. 597, S. 734, S. 484, S. 728, S. 623, S. 1390, H.R. 1016, H.R. 2243, H.R. 1522, H.R. 1804, H.R. 1633, H.R. 775, H.R. 1982, H.R. 2647, H.R. 1701, H.R. 1821, H.R. 1089, H.R. 1098, H.R. 1211, H.R. 952, H.R. 2647, H.R. 2505, H.R. 809, H.R. 1256, H.R. 1821, H.R. 1474, H. Res. 225

Client expense: $609,696 · Firm income: Not reported

LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY GOALS FOR VETERANS: [See Next Page] Contacts made on the following legislative initiatives: HR 23 -- Belated Thank You to the Merchant Marines of WWII Act would grant a $1,000 monthly benefit to individuals who served in the Merchant Marines between 12/07/41 and 12/31/46; HR 249 --The Tax Relief and Fulfilling Our Obligation to Patriotic Soldiers Act by not taxing enlistment and re-enlistment bonuses, legislation would enhance bonuses that attract new recruits into military specialties that are in high demand; HR 819 -- legislation which provides Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits to surviving spouses of former prisoners of war (POW), which also seeks to extend the receipt of DIC benefits to surviving spouses of former POWs who died on or before September 30, 1999 and will ease the financial strain left on survivors of POWs who do not currently qualify for DIC benefits; HR 1168 -- The Veterans Retraining Act would provide veterans with the training they need to seek meaningful employment; HR 1169 -- legislation that would amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the amount of assistance provided by VA to disabled veterans for specially adapted housing, automobiles and equipment; HR 1209 -- The Medal of Honor Commemorative Coin Act; HR 1295 -- The Service Members' Home Buyer Tax Credit Extension Act would ensure that members of the Armed Forces are not denied the first-time homebuyer tax credit granted to them under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as a result of theircurrent station outside of the United States; HR 1681 -- The Veterans Transitional Assistance Act would rationalize the transition process from DOD to VA; HR 1701 -- The PTSD/TBI Guaranteed Review for Heroes Act; HR 1821 -- The Equity for Injured Veterans Improvement Act to give rise to many befeficial improvements tot h Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) assistance program by providing childcare assistance to single-parent veterans with children and extendining the period of eligibility from 12 years to a more adequate 15 years; HR 2017 -- legislation that would grant the Military Officer Association of America (MOAA) a federal charter; HR 2082 -- The Military and Overseas Voting Enhancement Act to improve voting access and absentee ballot accountability for members of the armed services; HR 2126 -- The Correspondence With Our Heroes Act would allow active duty Armed Forces members serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as service members who are hospitalized due to injury or disease incurred in Iraq and Afghanistan, to receive one piece of mail per month free of charge to the sender; HR2243 -- The Surviving Spouses Benefit Improvement Act would raise the amount of VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) to an amount equal to 55% of VA disability compensation for a 100% disabled veteran; HR 2352 -- The Job Creation Through Entrepreneurship Act would expand the Small Veteran Business Center program within the Small Business Administration to serve as an outlet and resource for veteran business owners; HR 2379 -- The Veterans Group Life Insurance Act would allow those covered by Veterans Group Life Insurance (VGLI) to purchase additional coverage once every five years; HR 2393 -- The Military Voting Protection (MVP) Act would ensure that the ballots cast by service members stationed overseas are delivered to the appropriate state election officials by the jurisdiction's statutory deadline, while safeguarding voter privacy and ballot secrecy; HR 2410 -- would increase the likelihood that qualiofied individuals would become employees of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of State; HR 2456 -- The Veterans Education Tuition Support Act; HR 2562 -- Service Members Home Ownership Act would extend the first-time homebuyer credit to members of the Armed Forces who are deployed during 2009; HR 2874 -- Helping Active Duty Deployed Act would discharge the student loans of students called to active duty. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- S. CON. RES. 20 would honor the World War 1 (WWI) veterans by permitting the last WWI veteran to lie in the rotunda of th Capitol upon his death; S. 263 -- the Servicemembers Access to Justice Act would close several loopholes and strengthen the protections in current law to ensure that servicemembers' and veterans' employment and reemployment rights are effectively enforced under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA); S. 315 -- The Veterans Outreach Improvement Act would increase congressional oversight of the VA's outreach activities and authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to work with state, local and community-based organizations to perform outreach; S. 407 -- The Veterans Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act alows our disaled veterans and their dependents to keep pace with the rising costs of goods and services; S. 514 -- The Veterans Rehabilitation and Training Improvements Act would require the amount of subsistence allowance paid to a veteran for a month n which the veteran participates in a VA rehabilitation program to be equal to the national average of the basic allowance for housing paid to a member of the Armed Forces in pay grade E-5; S. 663 -- The Belated Thank You to the Merchant Marines of WWII Act would amend Title 46 USC to provide benefits to certain individuals who served in the Merchant Marines during WWII; S. 691/S. 746 -- to allow the VA to establish national cemeteries in Eastern Nebraska and southern Colorado; S. 728 -- The Veterans Insurance and Benefits Enhancement Act addresses a broad range of veterans benefits and improves services for both young and old veterans; S. 820 -- would improve the lives of the the nation's most seriously disabled service-connected veterans; S 842 -- provides needed foreclosure protection for military families; S. 847 -- would allow those receiving Dependents Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits to be exempt from the 48-month total educational benefits restriction; S. 1015 -- would enhance disability compensationf or disabled veterans in need of aid and attendance for residuals of tramatic brain injury and for disabled veterans with difficulties using prostheses; S. 1106 -- Selected Reserve Continuum of Care Act would provide medical and dental treatment for members of the Guard and Reserve to guarantee medical readiness.

Veterans Mental Health Screening and Assessment HR 1308; National Defense Authorization Act S. 1033/HR 2647; PTSD Guarantee Review for Heroes HR 1701; Military Retirees Healthcare Protection Act HR 816; Agent Orange Equity HR 2254; Health Care Armed Forces Exposed to Chemical Hazard S. 642;

Client expense: $140,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Defense, Dept of (DOD), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), SENATE, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office

H.R. 667, Heroes at Home Act of 2009 H.R. 952, COMBAT PTSD Act H.R. 1211, Women Veterans Health Improvement Act H.R. 1535, Improving Diagnosis of PTSD H.R. 1701, PTSD/TBI Guaranteed Review for Heroes Act S. 711, Post-Deployment Health Assessment Act H.R. 1308, Veterans Mental Health Screening and Assessment Act

Client expense: $120,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), SENATE, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA)

See Next Page For Listing H.R. 1428, To amend title 38, US Code, to direct the Secretary of Dept of Veterans Affairs to provide wartime disability compensation for certain veterans with Parkinson disease, all provisions H.R. 347. To grant the Congressional Gold Medal, collectively to the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442 Regimental Combat Team, US Army, in recognition of their dedicated service in WW2, all provisions H.R. 1701, PTSD/TBI Guaranteed Review for Heroes Act, all provisions H.R. 22, Support for Rule XXI for the House of Representatives is amended by adding at the end the following new clause (Stand alone requirement for military construction and veterans affairs appropriations) S. 644, National Guard and Reserve Retired Pay Equity Act of 2009, all provisions S. 476, Care Affordability for Military Families Act, all provisions H.R. 667, Heroes at Home Act of 2009, all provisions S. 423/H.R. 1016, Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009, all provisions H.R. 303, Retired Pay Restoration Act, all provisions H.R. 333, Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act, all provisions H.R. 775, Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act, all provisions S. 535, A Bill to amend Title 10, US Code, to repeal requirement for reduction of survivor annuities under the Survivor Benefit Plan by veterans Dependent Indemnity Compensation, and for other purposes, all provisions S. 572, Perpetual Purple Heart Stamp, all provisions H.R. 1305, Perpetual Purple Heart Stamp, all provisions H.R. 666, Support Military Valor of Honor Act, all provisions H.R. 270, TRICARE Continuity of coverage for National Guard and Reserve families act of 2009, all provisions S. 263, Service members access to justice act of 2009, all provisions H.R. 1474, Support Service members access to justice act of 2009, all provisions Support for new VA hospitals and the Administration's VA stimu lus package Issues related to the implementation of the Post 9-11 GI Bill; Veterans issues related to Rural Health Care Support for Veterans Independent Budget Support of funding and construction of a building for the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) Support to amend the Post 9-ll GI Bill to include NOAA and US Public Health Service members. Oppose plan to bail out other credit union institutions because it would hurt the military credit unions Support for USPS to issue the Purple Heart stamp as a Forever Stamp like the Liberty Bell Stamp. Lobbied against the proposal for the VA to bill third party insurance companies for the treatment, in VA hospitals Support to expedite the building of the new VA Medical Centers in Denver, CO, Louisville, KY and New Orleans, LA