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Floor
Statement of Honorable Lane Evans Mr. Speaker, I
rise in strong support of H.R. 801, the “Veterans’
Survivor Benefits Improvements Act of 2001’’.
I encourage all Members of the House to support this measure.
I commend and thank the gentleman from New Jersey, Chris
Smith, the distinguished Chairman of the committee, for his leadership on
this measure. I also want to
recognize the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Benefits, the gentleman from
Arizona, Mr. Hayworth, and the Ranking Democratic Member of the
Subcommittee on Benefits, Mr. Reyes, for their significant contributions
to the bill before us today.
Mr. Speaker, it is particularly appropriate that the House consider
H.R. 801 today as we prepare for Memorial Day, 2001.
Too often the sacrifices made by survivors of the men and women who
have served this Nation in uniform are not adequately recognized.
H.R. 801 recognizes those sacrifices and expresses the appreciation
of our grateful nation for the countless sacrifices made by the survivors
of the men and women who have served this Nation in uniform. The measure now before the House is derived
from legislation approved by this body earlier this year.
This legislation contains several of the important provisions
contained in the House passed bill, an important health care provision
proposed by the other body and several technical amendments. I would prefer that all provisions contained
in H.R. 801 as approved by the House earlier this year were included in
the measure before us now. While
this is not the case, I am committed, as I am certain the Chairman is, to
pursue enactment of all the provisions contained in H.R. 801 as originally
approved by the House. H.R. 801, the “Veterans’
Survivor Benefits Improvements Act of 2001’’ includes a number of
important provisions. Each
deserves the full support of this House.
This measure increases from $200,000 to $250,000, effective October 1, 2000, the maximum Servicemember Group Life Insurance benefit for survivors of members of the uniformed services who died in the performance of duty and who were previously insured for the maximum benefit. I thank the Ranking Member of the Benefits Committee, Congressman Reyes, in particular for his determined leadership on this important provision. Unfortunately, since the start of this fiscal year, a number of servicemembers have lost their lives in the performance of military duties. I
am pleased that the Senate’s amendment to H.R. 801 retains a provision
first advanced by Mr. Reyes to provide a retroactive increase in the
amount of the maximum life insurance benefits effective October 1, 2000,
for those servicemembers who lost their lives in the performance of duty.
This bill provides a $50,000 increase in maximum benefits for the
survivors of the terrorist attack on the U.S.S. Cole as well as for the
survivors of other members of the uniformed services who were insured for
the maximum benefit and who lost their lives between October 1, 2000, and
the April 1, 2001, effective date otherwise provided under Public Law
106-419. The Senate amendment
clarifies that the provision applies to all members of the uniformed
services who participate in the SGLI program.
Again, I congratulate Mr. Reyes for his persistent efforts on
behalf of these survivors. H.R.
801 also requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that
eligible dependents are made aware of VA services through media and
publications for veterans and their families.
This provision is derived from legislation, H.R. 336, authored by
the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mike Doyle, a committed advocate for
veterans, their dependents and survivors and a former Member of the
Veterans Committee. I salute
Mike Doyle for his successful leadership and efforts to improve VA
outreach to veterans’ dependents and thank him for alerting the Congress
to needed improvements in VA outreach to the dependents of veterans.
The dependents of veterans will be better served as a result of
this provision. This legislation also authorizes family coverage under the
Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI).
In order to attract and retain qualified members of our
Armed Services, it is important that the benefits provided to
servicemembers are at least comparable to those in civilian employment. The provision allowing family members of servicemembers to
participate in the SGLI program will put our Nation’s military families
on a par with civilians whose employers provide a similar benefit.
It is the right thing to do. Addressing a critical need, H.R. 801 provides eligibility
for benefits under CHAMPVA for veterans’ survivors who are eligible for
hospital insurance benefits under the Medicare program.
Specifically, this provision authorizes dependents of
permanently and totally disabled veterans and surviving dependents to have
CHAMPVA act as a secondary payer for Medicare and to continue to offer
benefits, like outpatient prescription drugs Medicare does not cover after
they reach the age of 65. Too
many survivors have reported the hardships they have faced after their
eligibility for CHAMPVA coverage has ceased.
Because Medicare does not pay for prescription drugs for our
seniors, CHAMPVA beneficiaries viewed the transition to Medicare as a
significant financial hardship, just as our military retirees have.
Although a meaningful plan to provide coverage for pharmaceuticals
for all our nation’s seniors has unfortunately still not been
established, we owe a special debt to those who have sacrificed so dearly.
Providing eligibility for benefits under CHAMPVA for veterans’ survivors who are
eligible for hospital insurance benefits under the Medicare program
addresses this special debt. Mr.
Speaker, it should be noted that Congress has enacted TRICARE for Life to
honor the promises the Nation and our military services made to our
nation’s service members. The
law creating the CHAMPVA program explicitly links it to the military’s
health care benefits. As a
nation we have acknowledged that widows, widowers, orphans and dependents
are owed the same benefits provided to our service members, military
retirees and their families. This
provision honors this commitment. Importantly, this measure also contains a number of technical amendments as they relate to education benefits for veterans and their dependents. These technical amendments will help VA’s administration of the Montgomery GI Bill program (MGIB). The bill also contains a provision that clarifies the amount of money that former participants of the Post-Vietnam Era Veterans’ Educational Assistance Program are required to pay in order to buy into the superior education benefits offered under the MGIB. Mr. Chairman, this is the first veterans’
benefits bill to be approved by both the House and Senate during the 107th
Congress. It will not be the
last. I look forward to
continuing to work with the Chairman and all members of the Committee on
Veterans Affairs to enact further legislation to provide the benefits and
programs earned by those who have served and sacrificed on behalf of our
Nation. Mr.
Speaker, I thank everyone who has contributed to this measure.
This is good legislation and I encourage all Members to support it. |