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July 20, 2001 |
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1. New Vet Benefits Bill Advancing Last
week the House VA Subcommittee on Benefits passed the Veterans Benefits
Act of 2001. The measure would add Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2) to the list
of service-connected diseases presumed for Vietnam veterans, and expand
the definition of undiagnosed illnesses for Persian Gulf War veterans to
include fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic multisymptom
illnesses, and other illnesses that cannot be defined. The new measure
also would provide cost-of-living adjustments to service-connected
disability compensation for veterans and their survivors. The adjustment
would equal the increase provided to recipients of Social Security. The
legislation is a sequel to the Veterans' Survivor Benefits Improvement
Act, which President Bush signed into law on June 5. Full committee action
is expected soon. The bill also would: Authorize the VA Secretary to pay National Service Life Insurance and U.S. Government Life Insurance proceeds to an alternate beneficiary when the first beneficiary cannot be located within three years of the insured's death; Extend to 2005 the VA's direct loan program for Native American veterans living on tribal trust lands; Modify the requirement for loan assumption language in home loan documents, and Eliminate the need for veterans to furnish the VA Secretary with a copy of their notices to appeal filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. 2. GAO Fingers Records Center for VA Claims Delays The National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis is partly to blame for delays in claims processing by the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to the General Accounting Office. The problem is the time it takes the NPRC to provide records requested by veterans. The GAO reported a backlog of 214,000 requests for documents with an expected increase to 240,000 by December, adding about a three-month delay. Rep. Lane Evans, Ill., ranking Democrat on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, described the center's filing system as being unchanged for 50 years, with almost 100 million files and records being stored in cardboard boxes. Deputy archivist Lewis J. Bellardo asserts that the center is making a sustained effort to improve services. 3. House Committee Opposes Forced Choice Leaders of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee have declared that, until all potential effects are considered, they will oppose legislation forcing military retirees to choose between military or VA health care systems. Chairman Chris Smith, R-N.J., and Ranking Democrat Member Lane Evans, Ill., wrote VA Secretary Anthony J. Principi and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on July 13th urging joint consultation by the two agencies with an outside organization to study the proposal. A similar letter was sent to Chairman Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., and Ranking Democrat Member John P. Murtha, Pa., of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, asking them to delay action until the VA and the Pentagon submit a joint report to Congress. President Bush first unveiled the proposal in his budget message. 4. Non-VA Emergency Care Okayed for Some Vets The Department of Veterans Affairs will begin reimbursing non-VA hospitals for emergency services provided to eligible veterans who have no other means of payment. Such veterans must: be enrolled in VA health care, and must have been seen by a VA health care professional within 24 months. When those conditions are met, the veteran pays nothing. VA will pay 70 percent of the applicable Medicare rate and VA payment will be payment in full. The VA will pay for private-sector emergency care only until the veteran can be safely transported to a VA facility. For more information contact the nearest VA health care facility or call 1-877-222-8387. |
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