Congressman Filner Leads House in Passage of Comprehensive Veterans Bills

Filner Leads House in Passage of Comprehensive Veterans Bills
Written by Imperial Valley News
Thursday, 25 September 2008

Washington, DC - On Wednesday, September 24, 2008, Bob Filner (D-CA), Chairman of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, announced that the House of Representatives passed comprehensive legislation to provide improved health care services and increased benefits for our Nation’s veterans.

Chairman Filner (D-CA) thanked his Republican and Democratic colleagues for their contributions to the comprehensive legislative package. He also thanked his Senate counterparts for their dedication to working together to craft legislation that will address the important and timely needs of veterans.

Chairman Filner offered the following statement on the House Floor: “Over the course of the 110th Congress, we have learned much about the needs of our Nation’s veterans and the bills passed today go a long way to address them. S. 2162 takes care of the men and women who have given so much to defend this Nation and provides our veterans with the quality health care programs and services they need and so richly deserve. S. 3023 will help modernize the VA claims processing system and assist it in becoming a 21st century, world-class entity that reflects the selfless and priceless sacrifices of those it serves - our veterans, their families, and survivors.”

The following bills were considered and approved by the House of Representatives:

S. 2162, as amended - The Veterans’ Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act of 2008 (Introduced by Senator Akaka)

Provisions of the bill include (but are not limited to):

* Expanding treatment for substance use disorders and mental health care;

* Conducting research into co-morbid PTSD and substance use disorders through the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder;

* Providing mental health care, including counseling, for families, of veterans;

* Providing reimbursement for a veteran for the costs of emergency treatment received in a non-VA facility;

* Establishing a pilot program to allow a highly rural veteran to receive non-VA health care;

* Designating at least four VA health care facilities as epilepsy centers of excellence;

* Mandating the VA to centralize third party billing functions at consolidated centers;

* Eliminating a rule prohibiting VA from conducting widespread testing for HIV infection;

* Expanding health care benefits provided to the children of Vietnam and Korean war veterans born with spina bifida;

* Developing and implementing a comprehensive policy on pain care management;

* Expanding referral and counseling services for certain at-risk and transitional veterans;

* Providing support services for very low-income veteran families residing in permanent housing; and,

* Authorizing major medical facility projects for 2009
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