Cold War Veterans Blog

VFW Legislative Update

In This Issue:
1. House VA Committee Hearings
2. NDAA Update

1. House VA Committee Hearings:

Wednesday: The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations (O&I) held a hearing on VAs brachytherapy safety standards. Brachytherapy is a form of radiotherapy often used to treat prostate cancer by using radioactive seeds which are placed inside or next to a patient's malignant cells. The hearing came on the heels of reports of botched prostate cancer procedures and lack of quality and controls at Philadelphia's VA Medical Center. A panel of doctors from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine who implemented the Brachytherapy procedures under contract at the Philadelphia VA offered their explanations and apologies. The committee posed questions to the panel of doctors and the representatives from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission about the safety and security of radioactive materials used in medical procedures and how VA can identify quality controls and strict oversight. Reports show that the Brachytherapy procedure is very effective when administered and monitored properly.

Thursday: The O&I subcommittee also held a hearing examining Quality of Life and Ancillary Benefits provided by VA. VA ancillary benefits include adaptive grants for automobiles and housing, vocational rehabilitation, education, aid and attendance and insurance. Witnesses included representatives from veterans' service organizations, The Institute of Medicine, Quality of Life Foundation of Virginia, National Organization on Disability and VA benefits staff. Chairman John Hall (D-NY) asked the panels to review recent legislation and reports addressing the appropriateness of VA benefits and quality of life loss payment. Updating VAs current rating schedule and addressing quality of life payment has remained a priority for VFW and other VSOs since recommendations were made by the VDBC in October 2007.

For more on the hearings, visit the House website at http://veterans.house.gov/..hearings/
To read the final report of the Veterans' Disability Benefits Commission (VDBC) go to:
http://www.vetscommission...org/reports.asp


2. NDAA Update: Late last night, the Senate passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by a vote of 87-7. The bill, S. 1390 included the following VFW-supported provisions:

**SBP-DIC offset - The Senate approved an amendment offered by Sen. Bill Nelson that would end the deduction of VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) from military Survivor Benefit Plan annuities.

**Concurrent Receipt - The Senate approved an amendment offered by Sen. Harry Reid to phase-in the extension of concurrent receipt to all medically retired service members, regardless of years of service.

**Military Spouses Residency Relief - The Senate approved an amendment offered by Sen. Richard Burr that would give a military spouse who moves out of state because of military orders the option to claim one state of domicile, regardless of where they move. This amendment would remove the need for military spouses to update drivers' licenses, filing tax returns for multiple states, and changing vehicle and voter registrations with each move.

The House passed its bill (HR 2647) in June. The bills now head to conference for final approval