Washington – A Senate panel on Thursday voted to expand brain screenings and counseling for wounded veterans of the Iraq war and to reduce red tape for service members moving from Pentagon to Veterans Affairs care.
The bill, approved unanimously by the Senate Armed Services Committee, also would boost disability pay and provide more counseling for family members of tens of thousands of U.S. service members wounded in combat.
The action, which sends the bill to the Senate floor, capped a flurry of activity to reach agreement on a single measure that would improve health care following reports of shoddy outpatient treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. In all, about 30 senators are sponsoring the measure, including three presidential candidates and two Senate committees – Veterans Affairs and Armed Services.
“This is record-breaking time we’ve been able to put together such a comprehensive bill and a much-needed addition to the treatment and care of wounded warriors and veterans,” said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Armed Services Committee.
It also comes after dozens of hearings by congressional panels.
Last month, a presidential task force led by VA Secretary Jim Nicholson urged improved care by fostering greater cooperation among government agencies, but it did not make recommendations on legislative changes or funding that was needed.
The “Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act” would:
Seek to end inconsistencies in disability pay by providing for a special review of cases in which service members received low ratings of their level of disability, to see if they were shortchanged.
Boost military severance pay.
Provide $50 million for improved diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of veterans with traumatic brain injury or post- traumatic stress disorder.
Require the VA secretary and defense secretary to develop a joint comprehensive plan for care by Jan. 1, so injured troops don’t slip through the cracks. The two departments would also have to create an interagency office to develop a joint system for electronic health records.
