Equal benefits for Guardsmen and reserves, increased education and research into brain health, and adequate space in VA facilities for mothers to breastfeed among the issues covered in SFR.
The American Legion submitted a Statement for the Record (SFR) for the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs’ May 21 hearing that touched on a variety of pending veterans’ health-care and benefits legislation.
Matthew Cardenas, a policy analyst in the Legion’s Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Division, submitted the SFR for the hearing, during which a total of 20 Senate bills were considered.
Cardenas touched on 19 of the 20 pieces of legislation in his SFR, sharing Legion support for 16 of them, opposition to two and no position on one. Read the entire SFR here.
Among the legislation garnering American Legion support was S. 649: the Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act. The legislation would amend Title 38 of the U.S. Code to expand eligibility for Post-9/11 Educational Assistance to members of the National Guard who perform certain full-time duty and for other purposes.
“National Guard and Reserve servicemembers play a crucial role in defending our borders, responding to public health crises, and supporting local law enforcement,” Cardenas wrote. “These servicemembers face unique challenges on the home front, often leaving families and civilian jobs behind for extended periods, sometimes at considerable financial loss. Despite their significant contributions, they are often denied a fundamental benefit of service that the Forever GI Bill remedies.
“The distinction between federal and state military activation orders in determining GI Bill eligibility has led to thousands of servicemembers being ineligible for GI Bill benefits. The American Legion strongly believes that ‘every day in uniform counts’ and that National Guard and Reserve servicemembers, who serve alongside their active-duty counterparts, should receive the same benefits.”
Cardenas also shared the Legion’s support for S. 800: the Precision Brain Health Research Act. The legislation would modify the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Precision Medicine for Veterans Initiative, calling for the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act to be amended by inserting “repetitive low level blast exposure, dementia, and such other brain and mental health conditions.”
Cardenas noted the Legion supports the bill through Resolution No 165: Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Programs.
“The American Legion supports increased education and research into this emerging issue, as occupational exposure to repetitive, low-level blasts in military training and combat has been tied to sub-concussive injury and poor health outcomes for service members,” the SFR stated. “A variety of effects have been linked to low-level blast exposure, some more tenuously than others. These include cognitive impairments, sleep disturbances, depression, panic attacks, and posttraumatic stress disorder. However, there is a lack of published, peer-reviewed, scientific evidence linking repeated low-level military occupational blast to injury.”
Support also was expressed for S. 778: the Lactation Spaces for Veteran Moms Act. The bill also would amend the U.S. Code to require a lactation space in each VA medical center.
“The United States has 170 VA medical centers and 1,193 outpatient medical centers. As of 2022, there are only 90 VA medical centers that provide lactation rooms,” Cardenas wrote. “Breastfeeding benefits both the mother and the infant. Over the years, research has shown that breastmilk improves overall health and well-being for the child from infancy through adulthood. Breastfeeding decreases the risk of type 1 diabetes, allergies, obesity, and cancers in mothers.
“Benefits of breastmilk include introducing antibodies to the infant’s immune system that fight infection and reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. In early 2022, the US had a national formula shortage, and many mothers were required to breastfeed their infants to provide adequate nutrients in lieu of purchasing formula. The VA should provide adequate space in their facilities for breastfeeding.”
Other pieces of legislation supported by the Legion and noted in the SFR included:
· S. 585: the Servicemember to Veteran Health Care Connection Act. The bill would amend the U.S. Code to establish a pre-transition health care registration process to facilitate enrollment in the patient enrollment system of the Department of Veterans Affairs by members of the Armed Forces who are separating from the Armed Forces, and for other purposes.
· S. 599: the DRIVE Act, which would increase the mileage rate offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs through their Beneficiary Travel program for health-related travel, and for other purposes.
· S.879: the Veteran Caregiver Reeducation, Reemployment, and Retirement Act, which expands medical, employment and other benefits for individuals serving as family caregivers for certain veterans.
· S. 1318: A bill to direct the American Battle Monuments Commission to establish a program to identify American-Jewish servicemembers buried in U.S. military cemeteries overseas under markers that incorrectly represent their religion and heritage.
· S. 1320: the Servicewomen and Veterans Menopause Research Act, which directs the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to take certain steps regarding research related to menopause, perimenopause, or mid-life women’s health.
In his SFR, Cardenas expressed opposition to S. 219: the Veterans Health Care Freedom Act, which directs the VA secretary to carry out a pilot program to improve the ability of veterans to access medical care in VA medical facilities and in the community by providing veterans the ability to choose health-care providers.
“Community care has been an important relief valve for VA and has a large role to play in getting veterans the care they need when they need it. However, this legislation would be a major deviation from how the Legion has typically viewed and supported the provision of veteran health care,” Cardenas wrote. “The American Legion strongly believes that VA should remain the center of care for veterans. The overuse of VA community care providers would not only be extremely costly to the VA, but it would also be very difficult to ensure that veterans receive the same standard of care provided internally at VA facilities.”
- Legislative