House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs (DAMA) Chair Elaine Luria (VA-02) led her panel in a bipartisan legislative hearing on Tuesday on bills that would help veterans.
“I have heard from veterans and their families on the importance of getting timely and accurate decisions on their claims for VA benefits. I’ve heard how devastating it can be for a veteran and their family when they are victims of fraud,” Chair Luria said during her opening remarks. “Without pause, I know that Congress and the VA must do more to serve our veterans and protect them from fraudulent practices. I am grateful to my colleagues for their bipartisan efforts to work toward that goal.”
The DAMA hearing included a bill Chair Luria is co-leading with Congressman Ro Khanna (CA-17) – H.R. 4183, the Identifying Barriers and Best Practices Study Act. This bill helps identify barriers and benefit disparities between veterans who served in the Guard, Reserve, Active Duty, and special programs such as those who served in nuclear field. For any barriers identified, this bill also requests recommendations for overcoming those barriers so Congress can ease the pathway to benefits for those veterans.
“Thank you very much, Chairwoman Luria, for your leadership on so many issues,” Congressman Khanna said at the hearing. “It’s really been a pleasure working with you on H.R. 4183. We need more veterans like you in Congress and the Subcommittee is fortunate to have you as its Chair.”
Also at the hearing, Chair Luria discussed her bipartisan Gold Star Family Tax Relief Act, which the House passed as part of the SECURE Act earlier this year. Late last month, Chair Luria led a bipartisan letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urging him to immediately bring up the SECURE Act for a Senate vote. Republican Senators echoed Congresswoman Luria’s request to McConnell last week.
Other bills discussed at the hearing include:
- VA Overpayment Accountability Act
- Protect Veterans from Financial Fraud Act
- Veteran Spouses Equal Treatment Act
- Improving Benefits for Underserved Veterans Act
- Justice for ALS Veterans Act
- WINGMAN Act
- Fallen Warrior Battlefield Cross Memorial Act
- SFC Brian Woods Gold Star and Military Survivors Act
Video of the full hearing can be seen here.
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