wrbones
01-25-03, 06:47 PM
January 24, 2003
Dear Warren:
The 108th Congress is off to a fast start, and I wanted to take this
opportunity to update you on major legislation I've offered on behalf of
our nation's veterans.
S. 19, the Veterans and Military Personnel Fairness Act of 2003, was
among the Democratic Leadership bills introduced this session. The
legislation currently has 27 cosponsors, and it represents our goals for
veterans and military personnel in this session of Congress. It has
been endorsed by major veterans' organizations, including the American
Legion and Disabled American Veterans (DAV).
The bill includes four major provisions: full concurrent receipt, an
improved funding system for VA health care, an easier and faster process
for veterans seeking prescription drugs, and new tax provisions to
assist veterans and military personnel.
The first provision, concurrent receipt, would allow military retirees
to draw their full retirement benefit as well as their VA disability
compensation. As you know, these retirees currently have their
disability pay subtracted, dollar for dollar, from their retirement pay
- a penalty not applied to federal civilian retirees who receive VA
disability benefits.
If passed, S. 19 will allow nearly 2,000 military retirees in South
Dakota, and more than 500,000 nationwide, to receive both retirement and
disability benefits concurrently.
Full concurrent receipt has been passed in the Senate the last three
years. Last year, the House of Representatives also passed a more
limited provision, but both bills were essentially dropped by Republican
leaders in Congress due to a veto threat from President Bush.
The time has come to resolve this inequity. Thousands of our oldest
veterans are dying every year and cannot be told, "Wait 'til later."
For them, justice must come soon or not at all.
Our new bill also would attack the incredible waiting lists at VA
hospitals and clinics nationwide. First, it would change the funding
process for the Veterans Health Administration, so that an increase in
patients would create an automatic increase in funding. This section,
which is identical to legislation introduced by Senator Johnson, would
help ensure that the VA can provide medical services to every eligible
veteran. In addition, waiting lists could be reduced by eliminating red
tape that now prevents the VA from quickly filling prescriptions.
We know that many of those on waiting lists are veterans who hold a
prescription from a doctor and want to have it filled, but who first
must comply with a VA requirement that no pharmaceuticals may be
dispensed before the veteran completes an appointment with a VA doctor.
An internal VA investigation has found this process to be unnecessary
and wasteful, and several South Dakota veterans have expressed
frustration to me. S. 19 adopts the recommendation of the VA's own
report and would require the VA to honor prescriptions written by
doctors outside the VA system.
Finally, S. 19 initiates much-needed tax reform for members of both
active duty and reserve components. The passage of this bill will
restore a tax deduction for National Guard and Reserve members for
military-related travel expenses, allow more military homeowners to
qualify for capital-gains tax exclusions when they sell a home, and
extend filing deadlines for troops deployed overseas for peacekeeping
operations. These changes are long overdue.
I am excited to support such a significant piece of legislation. Its
passage will not come without hard-fought battles in Congress and the
White House, but I am committed to seeing veterans receive the benefits
they have earned through their dedicated service to our country. As we
prepare for the possibility of war, I will do everything I can to see
that we remember and respect those who have already helped defend their
country.
With best wishes, I am
Sincerely,
Tom Daschle
United States Senate
TAD/bew
Dear Warren:
The 108th Congress is off to a fast start, and I wanted to take this
opportunity to update you on major legislation I've offered on behalf of
our nation's veterans.
S. 19, the Veterans and Military Personnel Fairness Act of 2003, was
among the Democratic Leadership bills introduced this session. The
legislation currently has 27 cosponsors, and it represents our goals for
veterans and military personnel in this session of Congress. It has
been endorsed by major veterans' organizations, including the American
Legion and Disabled American Veterans (DAV).
The bill includes four major provisions: full concurrent receipt, an
improved funding system for VA health care, an easier and faster process
for veterans seeking prescription drugs, and new tax provisions to
assist veterans and military personnel.
The first provision, concurrent receipt, would allow military retirees
to draw their full retirement benefit as well as their VA disability
compensation. As you know, these retirees currently have their
disability pay subtracted, dollar for dollar, from their retirement pay
- a penalty not applied to federal civilian retirees who receive VA
disability benefits.
If passed, S. 19 will allow nearly 2,000 military retirees in South
Dakota, and more than 500,000 nationwide, to receive both retirement and
disability benefits concurrently.
Full concurrent receipt has been passed in the Senate the last three
years. Last year, the House of Representatives also passed a more
limited provision, but both bills were essentially dropped by Republican
leaders in Congress due to a veto threat from President Bush.
The time has come to resolve this inequity. Thousands of our oldest
veterans are dying every year and cannot be told, "Wait 'til later."
For them, justice must come soon or not at all.
Our new bill also would attack the incredible waiting lists at VA
hospitals and clinics nationwide. First, it would change the funding
process for the Veterans Health Administration, so that an increase in
patients would create an automatic increase in funding. This section,
which is identical to legislation introduced by Senator Johnson, would
help ensure that the VA can provide medical services to every eligible
veteran. In addition, waiting lists could be reduced by eliminating red
tape that now prevents the VA from quickly filling prescriptions.
We know that many of those on waiting lists are veterans who hold a
prescription from a doctor and want to have it filled, but who first
must comply with a VA requirement that no pharmaceuticals may be
dispensed before the veteran completes an appointment with a VA doctor.
An internal VA investigation has found this process to be unnecessary
and wasteful, and several South Dakota veterans have expressed
frustration to me. S. 19 adopts the recommendation of the VA's own
report and would require the VA to honor prescriptions written by
doctors outside the VA system.
Finally, S. 19 initiates much-needed tax reform for members of both
active duty and reserve components. The passage of this bill will
restore a tax deduction for National Guard and Reserve members for
military-related travel expenses, allow more military homeowners to
qualify for capital-gains tax exclusions when they sell a home, and
extend filing deadlines for troops deployed overseas for peacekeeping
operations. These changes are long overdue.
I am excited to support such a significant piece of legislation. Its
passage will not come without hard-fought battles in Congress and the
White House, but I am committed to seeing veterans receive the benefits
they have earned through their dedicated service to our country. As we
prepare for the possibility of war, I will do everything I can to see
that we remember and respect those who have already helped defend their
country.
With best wishes, I am
Sincerely,
Tom Daschle
United States Senate
TAD/bew