Through its First Responder Program, Benedictine University is offering free tuition for Illinois armed forces veterans, active and Reserve, returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan. Illinois veterans who participate in this program will be able to pursue an associate of arts in business administration or a Bachelor of Arts in management degree at no tuition cost. For more information, contact Autumn Lynumn at 630-829-6126 or Heena I. Jeelani at 630-829-1385 or visit the Benedictine University website.
Find military friendly schools with Military.com's School Finder.
INDEX
-Women Vets Plate passed the State Rep side of the General Assembly
-Governor Quinn Signs Legislation to Support Illinois’ Injured Servicemembers
-Obama Signs VA Healthcare Reform Law
-Veteran Heatlh Bills Under Review
-New Bill to abate property taxes for disabled vets
-Message sent to Obama-Biden Transition Team
-Filipino veterans of World War II upset by U.S. rejection of military benefits
-Free Tuition for Illinois Veterans
-VA Opens More Community-Based Vet Centers
-House Passes Measure to Assist Low-Income Veterans with Housing
-Senate Appropriations Committee Approves FY 2009 Funding for Veterans Affairs
March 3, 2010
Women Vets Plate PASSED the State Rep side of the General Assembly in Springfield
In Springfield, on HB-4667 Women Vets Plate PASSED the State Rep side of the General Assembly in Springfield Yea 102 – Nea 7 a great Bi-Partisan victory for women.
Now the new (companion/sister) Bill SB-2803 on the State Senate, Ms. Lightford had agreed to be the torchbearer and carry this through.
State Rep John D’Amico has already filed the paperwork after the Senate brings this to the Third Reading and Final vote.
November 21, 2009
Governor Quinn Signs Legislation to Support Illinois’ Injured Servicemembers New Law Allows Active-Duty Troops to Receive Casualty-Based Grants
CHICAGO – November 21, 2009. Governor Pat Quinn today signed legislation to allow Illinois’ activeduty servicemembers who are injured due to hostile action to receive $5,000 from the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund. “It is our duty to honor all servicemembers, especially those who are injured while serving our country and fighting for democracy,” said Governor Quinn. “This bill helps ensure that every injured hero can focus on recovery by easing some of their financial burdens during a critical time.” Senate Bill 2148 allows active duty servicemembers, who are Illinois residents, to apply for casualty-based grants from the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund, a donation-supported fund created in 2003. To qualify for grants, the active duty member must have been deployed in support of operations as a result of the September 11 terrorist attacks and sustained an injury as a result of hostile action. Each grant recipient is awarded a minimum of $5,000 and may only receive one casualty-based grant for each engagement or incident in which injuries were sustained. The Illinois Department of Military Affairs will oversee the program and make grant determinations. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Collinsville) and Sen. Deanna Demuzio (D-Carlinville) and is effective immediately. The Illinois Department of Military Affairs has had a program for casualty-based grants for National Guard and Reserve servicemembers prior to this legislation. Senate Bill 2148 increases the grant amount from $2,000 to a minimum of $5,000 and includes active duty servicemembers. The Illinois Military Family Relief Fund legislation was drafted by then-Lt. Governor Quinn, passed unanimously by the General Assembly and signed into law in 2003. It established a check-off box on the Illinois income tax return that allowed residents to make tax-deductible donations directly to the fund. More than 35 states have passed legislation modeled after the Illinois fund. Thanks to many generous donations by Illinois residents, businesses and organizations, the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund has distributed more than $10.4 million to more than 19,000 military members and families to date. Donations to the fund can be made by visiting OperationHomefront.org. Checks can be made payable to the Illinois Military Family Relief and mailed to: The Illinois Department of Military Affairs, ATTN: IMFRF, 1301 N. MacArthur Boulevard, Springfield, Illinois 62702-2399.
http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=1&RecNum=8046
Obama Signs VA Healthcare Reform Law
Week of November 02, 2009
President Barack Obama recently signed new legislation that creates predictable funding for veterans' health care. The Veterans Healthcare Reform and Transparency Act calls for appropriations a year in advance after more than two decades of regular budget delays. "No longer will VA and the veterans in its care have to suffer from the "check's in the mail' syndrome," said Clarence E. Hill, national commander of The American Legion. "Advance appropriations will go a long way toward minimizing compromises in the delivery of the high quality VA health care our veterans expect and deserve." The text of the new law is available online here.
March 4, 2009
Veteran Health Bills Under Review
Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs
Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, March 3, 2009, the House Veterans’ Affairs Health Subcommittee, led by Chairman Michael Michaud (D-ME), held a hearing to review legislation to improve and expand the health care delivery and services for veterans provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
“Today’s legislative hearing is an opportunity for Members of Congress, veterans, the VA and other interested parties to provide their views on and discuss recently-introduced legislation within the Subcommittee’s jurisdiction,” said Chairman Michaud. “The legislation before the Subcommittee today covers a wide range of important issues including mental health, women veterans, and reimbursement for emergency care treatment in non-VA facilities.”
The Health Subcommittee hearing reviewed the following three bills, along with draft legislation related to emergency care services for veterans:
H.R. 784, To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress quarterly reports on vacancies in mental health professional positions in Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities; (Tsongas D-MA-5). This bill directs the Secretary to report quarterly to Congress describing any vacancy in a mental health professional position at any VA medical facility, including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and licensed professional mental health counselors.
Congresswoman Tsongas testified, “H.R. 784 simply requires the VA to report vacancies in mental health professional positions at VA facilities on a quarterly basis. With the significant influx of OEF and OIF [Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom] veterans facing mental health wounds, as well as the already existing veterans populations from earlier generations receiving care at the VA, it is incumbent upon us to make sure that we have the necessary staffing to provide care.”
H.R. 785, To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program to provide outreach and training to certain college and university mental health centers re lating to the mental health of veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, and for other purposes; (Tsongas D-MA-5). This bill directs the Secretary to carry out a four-year pilot program to provide covered outreach and training services on the mental health of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom veterans to covered mental health centers, which include counseling centers, student health or wellness centers, or student services centers at colleges or universities with large enrollments of such veterans. The outreach and training services for covered mental health centers include training for clinicians on treatment for common mental illnesses and training on assisting veterans in accessing VA mental health care and services, among other programs.
Congresswoman Tsongas explained the purpose of H.R. 785 is to “provide college counselors and other staff who come in close contact with student-veterans at their schools with the tools to recognize symptoms of combat related mental health wounds; the ability to appropriately assist a student-veteran in need; and an understanding of how to effectively refer that student-veteran to the VA for care. I believe my legislation will actually augment the VA's continuum of care and bring in veterans who may be hesitant or apprehensive about seeking care from the VA.”
H.R. 1211, Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act; (Herseth-Sandlin D-SD). This bill directs the VA to conduct a study on the barriers faced by women veterans in accessing care in the VA health care system and to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the women’s health care programs at each VA medical center. The assessment will include reporting the demographics of women veterans population, the frequency with which health care services are available and provided for women veterans, and the impact of waiting lists, geographic distance, and other factors in obstructing the receipt of services. The bill would provide VA medical care for newborn children of women veterans receiving maternity care for a period of 14 days beginning on the day the child is born.
Editors Note: This bill was proposed last year - find more information on the Women Veterans Care Act on the Military.com Legislative Center.
Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin testified, “More women are answering the call to serve, and more women veterans need access to services that they are en titled to when they return. With increasing numbers of women now serving in uniform, the challenge of providing adequate health care services for women veterans is overwhelming. With more women seeking access to care, and for a more diverse range of medical conditions, in the future, these needs will likely be even significantly greater. Clearly, we must do everything we can from a public policy standpoint to meet this new challenge of women veterans.”
Draft Discussion, To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand veteran eligibility for reimbursement by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for emergency treatment furnished in a non-Department facility, and for other purposes; (Filner D-CA-51). This bill would expand veteran eligibility to require the VA to pay for emergency treatment for a non-service connected condition if a third party is not responsible for paying for the full cost of care. The bill clarifies that the VA only pay the difference between the amounts paid by the third party and the VA allowable amount, and is not responsible for copayments the veteran owes to the third party.
Bob Filner, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, offered the following statement: “Under current law, the VA does not pay for emergency treatment for non-service connected conditions in non-VA facilities if a veteran has third party insurance that pays either full or a portion of the emergency care. This includes veterans who carry an au to insurance policy providing minimal health care coverage. I plan to introduce legislation to clarify the reimbursement responsibilities of the VA, so veterans can focus on their recovery, instead of being overburdened with financial concerns.”
The bills must be approved by the Health Subcommittee and the Full House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs before being considered by the House of Representatives.
Witness List:
Panel 1
Honorable Niki Tsongas, Massachusetts, Member, U.S. House of Representatives
Honorable Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, South Dakota, Member, U.S. House of Representatives
Panel 2
Joy J. Ilem, Assistant National Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans
Joseph L. Wilson, Deputy Director, Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Commission, The American Legion
Eric Hilleman, Deputy Director, National Legislative Service. Veterans of Foreign Wars
Todd Bowers, Director of Government Affairs, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Panel 3
Gerald M. Cross, M ..D., FAPP, Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Accompanied by Walter A. Hall, Assistant General Counsel, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Visit the Legislative Center on Military.com for more information on issues and legislation.
New Bill to abate property taxes for disabled vets
You may be aware that a new bill has been introduced in the Illinois House of Representatives that will abate property taxes for disabled veterans based on their percentage of disability. This bill, introduce by Rep. Ron Stephens on 1/21/09, is HB0273 (see link below). It now has 48 co-sponsors and will move to the IL House Revenue & Finance where it will be acted upon next week on 2/11/09.
Other states, most recently Texas, have gotten such legislation passed with the help of a coalition of veterans groups. Any help or advice you could provide would be greatly appreciated by me and by all disabled veterans in Illinois.
Message sent to Obama-Biden Transition Team
This was sent on behalf of CVO to the Obama-Biden Transition Team through their website, change.gov.
The Coalition of Veterans Organizations is a group of grass roots veterans’ organizations and associate members which brings awareness to the general public on seven key points—listed below—on behalf of veterans. The program of the Obama-Biden Transition Team, as outlined on their website, includes aspects of these seven points. We believe that the new administration’s position could and should be strengthened by the inclusion of all of the seven listed points.
a) Full Mandatory Funding of VA (Department of Veterans Affairs) healthcare for veterans. Federally funded healthcare for all veterans without further pay. President-elect Obama in May signed a resolution for Full Mandatory Funding of VA healthcare. We believe he ought to stick by that commitment. While the website calls for “Fully funding VA medical care,” Full Mandatory Funding means VA healthcare would become an entitlement and the annual funding would be determined by the actual number of veterans using the VA, the actual cost of treating them and annual adjustments for changes in those numbers.
b) Eligibility for VA healthcare and benefits for all honorably discharged veterans—male and female—without co-payments and categories of service delivery. Today, not all veterans are eligible to receive healthcare and many who do must pay for it. On your website, the Obama-Biden Transition Team has called for allowing all veterans back into the VA. This can only be fully realized by eliminating co-pays for medications and visits.
c) Ending veteran homelessness and the realignment of the VA Per Diem grants system. There is no greater disgrace than the fact that thousands of veterans in this country are homeless. On your website, the Obama-Biden Team calls for combating homelessness with a “zero tolerance” policy. We need to end veterans homelessness now by getting every homeless veteran off the streets and providing services—health, legal, housing, family support and all the others—now!
d) Reform of funding and full accounting for all VA mental health services for veterans. Again, your website calls for “improving mental health and TBI care.” The VA has returned millions of dollars allocated for mental health. Any system that could do that despite front-page stories detailing the horrors of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan has neither realized what these veterans face nor the many needs they have. We ask that you totally revamp this system!
e) The inclusion of appropriations in the annual VA budget to fund benefits for World War II Filipino veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is time to fund their benefits now! This was passed by the current Congress, but allowed to die. These veterans have been denied benefits for over 60 years and like the previous legislation, are being allowed to die.
f) Ending the backlog of veterans’ benefits through Presumptive Benefits. On your website the administration-elect says to “fix the benefits bureaucracy.” We call on the federal government to immediately fund benefits for all veterans applying for VA disability. If they have the medical diagnosis and the military records to show they should get the benefits, then the benefits should be granted as soon as they apply. Then the government can figure out whether to award or disallow the benefits. That policy would end the government backlog very quickly and would make sure needy veterans get benefits in a prompt and caring manner.
g) Full equality of women’s benefits and healthcare. Your website makes no specific mention of women veterans. We recognize the special needs of women veterans and the unacceptable gap between services and benefits for women and those for men. That gap must be closed immediately and all services and benefits for women made fully available immediately.
The Obama-Biden Campaign and Transition Team have promised change from the old ways of doing business. Much about the VA and its healthcare system is world class. But there are important aspects of funding, accessibility, bureaucracy, the fight against homelessness and the special needs of women and other veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan—particularly regarding mental health care—that need more fundamental attention. We hope that the new administration will honor its pledge of change by addressing these pressing needs now. Veterans are dying for solutions!
Filipino veterans of World War II upset by U.S. rejection of military benefits
By Mary Owen | Tribune reporter
Original article on Tribune site
Benefits for Filipino veterans were taken away in 1946, when the Philippines was declared independent. De Guzman said soldiers in 67 countries have been ordered to serve under the U.S., and Filipinos are the only ones to be stripped of their benefits.
Nonetheless, many Filipino veterans cherish their medals and American flag pins.
"This is an injustice that should be corrected," said Steve Robertson, legislative director for the American Legion.
The American Legion has supported benefits for Filipino veterans for decades, Robertson said. However, the group voiced opposition to the proposal that was rejected in September because it called for taking benefits away from some U.S. veterans to give to Filipino veterans. Robertson said that would have set a dangerous precedent.
"We did not fight to be compensated," Yague said. "But if other people are being compensated, why not us? It is the duty of the government to help their soldiers."
Some veterans, such as Yague, receive partial disability benefits for injuries suffered during service. He received an eye injury from flying shrapnel.
But many veterans have been denied because they receive benefits for their service in the Philippine Army later in their career. Other Filipino veterans who served under the U.S. Army during the post-war reconstruction, but not during the conflict, have also been denied.
Though some veterans have lobbied to get benefits for themselves, many do not have proof of their service or their names do not appear on military lists.
"I'm disappointed," said veteran Emilio Garcera, 81, who was denied benefits four times. "For so many years, we have not been given a centavo. The sad part is that we are not recognized."
Garcera, who immigrated to Chicago in 1982, started his military career traveling through the jungles of his native Bicol region to deliver messages among military posts. After the war, he was shipped to Japan to assist the U.S. occupation and reconstruction efforts.
"In Okinawa, we were treated well," he said. "The ones I feel bad for are those in the [Bataan] Death March and at Corregidor. They should really receive the benefits."
Tribune photographer Cheryl A. Guerrero contributed to this report.
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Free Tuition for Illinois Veterans
Week of August 18, 2008
VA Opens More Community-Based Vet Centers
Yesterday, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs announced the opening of an additional 39 Community-Based Vet Centers by fall of 2009 to assist combat veterans with readjustment counseling, including screening and counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Three of the new centers will be in Illinois. Currently, 232 community outreach centers exist, offering counseling on employment, family issues and education to combat veterans and their family members, as well as bereavement counseling for families of service members killed on active duty and counseling for veterans who were sexually harassed on active duty. Vet Center services are available at no cost to veterans who experienced combat during any war era.
House Passes Measure to Assist Low-Income Veterans with Housing
The House passed a bill (H.R. 3299) that would require the government to provide 20,000 rental housing vouchers each year to homeless veterans. H.R. 3299 would authorize $200 million in fiscal year (FY) 2008 for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs, and require HUD to maintain a constant funding level to meet rising home costs. In addition, the bill would authorize grants to nonprofit organizations that sponsor housing projects for veterans earning less than 50 percent of the median income in an area or assist veterans in obtaining housing or applying for HUD programs. The Administration has threatened to veto H.R. 3299 saying it would replicate successful programs already in effect.
Senate Appropriations Committee Approves FY 2009 Funding for Veterans Affairs
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the FY 2009 spending bill for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, including $48 billion in discretionary spending for Veterans Affairs (VA). Under the bill, $41 billion would go to fund veterans health care services, including $250 million to initiate a new health outreach program for veterans in rural areas. The measure also provides $5 million for outreach and transitional assistance to women veterans as well as $24.7 billion for military construction, family housing and BRAC. In addition, the bill includes $1.3 billion for Guard and Reserve facilities.
· The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee will hold an oversight hearing on the Veterans Affairs response to members of the National Guard and Reserves returning from war: Wednesday, July 23 at 9:30 a.m., 418 Russell Building.
