Veterans Rehabilitation and Training Improvements Act of 2009

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.

Client expense: $10,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Defense, Dept of (DOD), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA)

S.252 Veterans Health Care Authorization Act of 2009 S.263 Servicemembers Access to Justice Act of 2009 S.274 Veterans Jobs Opportunity Act of 2009 S.315 Veterans Outreach Improvement Act of 2009 S.423 Advanced Approps S.459 SUPPORT for Substance Use Disorders ActSupporting Uniformed Personnel by Providing Oversight and Relevant Treatment for Substance Use Disorders Act S.475 Military Spouses Residency Relief Act S.498 A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize dental insurance for veterans and survivors and dependents of veterans, and for other purposes. S.514 Veterans Rehabilitation and Training Improvements Act of 2009 S.535 A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to repeal requirement for reduction of survivor annuities under the Survivor Benefit Plan by veterans' dependency and indemnity compensation, and for other purposes. S.543 Veteran and Servicemember Caregiver Support Act of 2009 S.559 A bill to provide benefits under the Post-Deployment/Mobilization Respite Absence program for certain periods before the implementation of the program. S.597 Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2009 S.658 Rural Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2009 S.669 Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act S.699 Far South Texas Veterans Medical Center Act of 2009 S.711 Post-Deployment Health Assessment Act of 2009 S.728 Veterans' Insurance and Benefits Enhancement Act of 2009 S.731 A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for continuity of TRICARE Standard coverage for certain members of the Retired Reserve. S.734 Rural Veterans Health Care Access and Quality Act of 2009 S.772 Honor Act of 2009 S.801 Family Caregiver Program Act of 2009 S.831 National Guard and Reserve Retired Pay Equity Act of 2009 S.842 A bill to repeal the sunset of certain enhancements of protections of servicemembers relating to mortgages and mortgage foreclosures, to amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay mortgage holders unpaid bala S.847 Education Benefits for Survivors who Enlist S.902 SERV ActServices, Education, and Rehabilitation for Veterans Act S.944 Wounded Warrior Transition Assistance Act of 2009 S.1026Military Voting Protection Act of 2009 S.1106Selected Reserve Continuum of Care Act S.1415Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act S.1467Lance Corporal Josef Lopez Fairness for Servicemembers Harmed by Vaccines Act of 2009 S.1495Service Dogs for Veterans Act of 2009 S.1668National Guard Education Equality Act H.R.32Veterans Outreach Improvement Act of 2009 H.R.270TRICARE Continuity of Coverage for National Guard and Reserve Families Act of 2009 H.R.294Veteran-Owned Small Business Promotion Act of 2009 H.R.466Wounded Veteran Job Security Act H.R.593To amend title 10, United States Code, to expand the authorized concurrent receipt of disability severance pay from the Department of Defense and compensation for the same disability under any law administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs to cove H.R.613Military Retiree Survivor Comfort Act H.R.620Jobs for Veterans Act of 2009 H.R.775To repeal the requirement for reduction of survivor annuities under the Survivor Benefit Plan to offset the receipt of veterans dependency and indemnity compensation. H.R.784To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress quarterly reports on vacancies in mental health professional positions in Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities. H.R.785To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program to provide outreach and training to certain college and university mental health centers relating to the mental health of veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring F H.R.819To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the payment of dependency and indemnity compensation to the survivors of former prisoners of war who died on or before September 30, 1999, under the same eligibility conditions as apply to payment of d H.R.950To amend chapter 33 of title 38, United States Code, to increase educational assistance for certain veterans pursuing a program of education offered through distance learning. H.R.952COMBAT PTSD ActCompensation Owed for Mental Health Based on Activities in Theater Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Act H.R.1016Advance Approps H.R.1036Veterans Physical Therapy Services Improvement Act of 2009 H.R.1098Veterans' Worker Retraining Act of 2009 H.R.1169To amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the amount of assistance provided by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to disabled veterans for specially adapted housing and automobiles and adapted equipment. H.R.1182Military Spouses Residency Relief Act H.R.1211Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act H.R.1308Veterans Mental Health Screening and Assessment Act H.R.1336Veterans Education Improvement Act of 2009 H.R.1401VET Corps Act of 2009 H.R.1474Servicemembers Access to Justice Act of 2009 H.R.1633Honor the WISH ActHonor the Written Intent of our Soldier Heroes Act H.R.2058Post-Deployment Health Assessment Act of 2009 H.R.2393Military Voting Protection Act of 2009 H.R.2416To require the Department of Veterans Affairs to use purchases of goods or services through the Federal supply schedules for the purpose of meeting certain contracting goals for participation by small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans, including veterans with service-connected disabilities. H.R.2419Military Personnel War Zone Toxic Exposure Prevention Act H.R.2456Veterans Education Tuition Support Act of 2009VETS Act of 2009 H.R.2547Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act H.R.2562Service Members Home Ownership Act of 2009 H.R.2614Veterans' Advisory Committee on Education Reauthorization Act of 2009 H.R.2696Servicemembers' Rights Protection Act H.R.2825Safety in Defense Contracting Act H.R.2874Helping Active Duty Deployed Act of 2009 H.R.2879Rural Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2009 H.R.2928To amend title 38, United State Code, to provide for an apprenticeship and on-job training program under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Program. H.R.2931To direct the Secretary of Defense to adopt a program of professional and confidential screenings for members of the armed forces on active duty to detect mental health conditions for the purpose of reducing the incidence of suicide among such members and H.R.3223To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the Department of Veterans Affairs contracting goals and preferences for small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans. H.R.3267To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide relief with respect to the children of members of the Armed Forces of the United States who die as a result of service in a combat zone. H.R.3337Post-9/11 Veterans' Job Training Act of 2009 H.R.3441To provide for automatic enrollment of veterans returning from combat zones into the VA medical system, and for other purposes. H.R.3467Veterans Education Enhancement and Fairness Act of 2009 H.R.3554National Guard Education Equality Act H.R.3561To amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the amount of educational assistance provided to certain veterans for flight training. H.R.3577Education Assistance to Realign New Eligibilities for Dependents (EARNED) Act of 2009 H.R.3579To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for an increase in the amount of the reporting fees payable to educational institutions that enroll veterans receiving educational assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

Client expense: $10,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Defense, Dept of (DOD), Education, Dept of, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Housing & Urban Development, Dept of (HUD), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office

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.

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)