VFW MO Legislative Updates

VFW WASHINGTON WEEKLY, October 23, 2009

Posted at 02:28 PM on Friday, October 23, 2009 by Missouri

In This Issue:
1. President Signs Advanced Funding Bill
2. Retroactive Stop Loss Payments Begin 
3. VFW Urges Russia to Support POW/MIA Commission
4. FY11 IB Critical Issues Now Online
5. VFW Testifies on Key Senate Bills
6. House VA Subcommittee Action

1. President Signs Advanced Funding Bill: President Obama signed into
law yesterday the VFW's top priority goal, advanced appropriations for
the Department of Veterans Affairs.  VFW Commander-in-Chief Thomas J.
Tradewell Sr. called the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and
Transparency Act a huge victory for veterans, because a budget known a
full year in advance will enable VA to plan for the hiring of critical
medical and research staff, as well as forecast equipment and facility
upgrades throughout their entire nationwide network.  "The VFW is proud
of our House and Senate champions, and grateful to President Obama for
his support of advanced appropriations when he was a senator, and for
his signature today," he said.  To read the VFW press release, go to
http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=news.newsDtl&did=5260. 

2. Retroactive Stop Loss Payments Begin: Active, Reserve Forces and
former servicemembers who had their enlistments extended or retirements
suspended due to Stop Loss are now eligible for retroactive special pay,
provided they served on active duty between Sept. 11, 2001, and Sept.
30, 2009.  All applications must be submitted to the respective service
by Oct. 21, 2010.  Eligible personnel will receive a payment of $500 per
month for each month (or any portion of a month) that a member was
retained on active duty due to Stop Loss.  Servicemembers must provide
Stop Loss documentation with their claim.  Family members of deceased
personnel should contact the appropriate military service for assistance
in filing their claim.  For more information, e-mail or logon to:
*        Army: https://www.stoplosspay.army.mil or e-mail
RetroStopLossPay@CONUS.Army.Mil
*        Navy: E-mail NXAG_N132C@navy.mil
*        Air Force: http://www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/stoploss/
*        Marine Corps: https://www.manpower.usmc.mil/stoploss or e-mail
stoploss@usmc.mil

3. VFW Urges Russia to Support POW/MIA Commission: VFW
Commander-in-Chief Thomas J. Tradewell Sr. returned from a 12-day trip
to Europe this week to urge the Russian government to revitalize the
U.S.-Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIAs, as well as to meet with
American servicemembers stationed in Italy to discuss how VFW can better
serve them and their families.  In Moscow, Tradewell met with members
from both houses of the Russian Federation's parliament, as well as the
leadership of two prominent veterans' organizations.  His message was
for them to urge their government back to the Joint Commission, which
was created in 1992.  He said an exchange of diplomatic notes in July
was a positive step forward, but no action had yet been taken to appoint
a Russian co-chairman or return access privileges to their central
military archives, which could help determine the fate of some of the
88,000 missing and unaccounted-for Americans going back to World War II.
American researchers have been barred from the archives since October
2006.  For more on U.S. full accounting efforts, go to the Defense
POW/Missing Personnel Office website at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/, or
the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command website at
http://www.jpac.pacom.mil/.

4. FY11 IB Critical Issues Now Online: The Independent Budget critical
issues report for fiscal year 2011 is now online.  The critical issues
report is designed to alert Congress, the Administration and VA on
issues we believe need special scrutiny and attention.  The new IB will
be released in February, concurrent with the President's proposed VA
budget release.  Coauthored by VFW, AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans
and Paralyzed Veterans of America, the IB is a comprehensive
recommendation of what VA needs to provide healthcare, benefits and
services to America's veterans.  For the FY11 IB critical issues report,
go to http://www.independentbudget.org/2011/CI_2011.pdf. 

5. VFW Testifies on Key Senate Bills: VFW testified this week before the
Senate VA Committee on a wide array of bills to improve healthcare and
benefits for veterans and their families.  The 22 bills discussed
included chiropractic care, improved education benefits for Guard and
Reservists, voting rights, and bills that would extend grants, housing
and outreach to homeless veterans and their children, among others.  VFW
supported all of the bills under review and urged the committee to pass
the legislation quickly.  For VFW testimony, go to
http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=caphill.leveld&did=3702.  For more on
the hearing, visit the Senate VA Committee website at
http://veterans.senate.gov/. 

6. House VA Subcommittee Action: The House VA subcommittees on
Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs and Health cleared several
VFW-supported bills this week, to include:
*        HR 761 would allow parents of certain deceased veterans to be
buried in a national cemetery if there is available space at the
veterans' gravesite. 
*        HR 2559 would direct VA to create an outreach campaign to reach
homeless veterans and veterans at risk for becoming homeless.
*        HR 2735 would change the Grant and Per Diem Program from a daily
care cost payment system to one based on the annual cost of the services
provided to homeless veterans.
*        HR 3073 would provide funding to public and nonprofit
organizations to help veterans who are in imminent danger of becoming
homeless.
*        HR 3485 would exclude monetary benefits paid to veterans by
states and municipalities from income when determining pensions. 
All the bills now move to the full House VA Committee for approval.  For
more information on the bills, type the bill number into the search box
at http://thomas.loc.gov/, or visit the House VA Committee website at
http://veterans.house.gov/.