Senate VA Committee Clears Bills On Tuesday, the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee cleared several VFW-supported bills that will improve access to healthcare and shield veterans from any budget uncertainty that may occur in the future. The committee approved, The Putting Veterans Funding First Act which will fund all VA programs a year in advance. Currently, only VA medical care accounts are provided an advance appropriation. The legislation is a top priority for the VFW and our partners on the Independent Budget. The House cleared a similar bill in August which calls for advance funding beginning with the 2016 budget. Other bills cleared include: S. 1604 expands the period of eligibility to enroll in VA healthcare for Post-9/11 combat veterans to include Guard and Reserves from five to 10 years. It also simplifies VA method in determining eligibility based on income thus allowing more veterans to enroll in VA. S. 1593 extends protections for service members with regards to sales contracts, mortgage penalties and provides further improvements under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act or SCRA. All of the bills now move to the Senate floor for debate. For the VFW testimony on some of the bills, click here. For more information, visit the Senate VA Committee website.
Posted on: Sat, 23 Nov 2013 22:54:19 +0000