Victories for Veterans
Congressman
Tom Cole
Tom Cole
November 12, 2006
Representing Oklahoma's veterans has been and continues to be among my top priorities in the House of Representatives. Because of Fort Sill and Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma's Fourth Congressional District consistently ranks among the top districts in the nation where veterans live. Veterans have sacrificed so much for our country -- it is now our responsibility to help them during their retirement. With Veterans Day approaching this weekend, I would like to share some recent victories in Congress for Veterans.
The House has increased the veterans' budget by 18 percent in the 109th Congress. The veterans' budget has gone from $66 billion passed for Fiscal Year 2005 to $78 billion for Fiscal Year 2007, an increase of $12 billion. With my support, the Congress also shored up veterans' health care spending, raising its level from $27.8 billion passed in the 108th Congress to $32.3 billion passed for Fiscal Year 2007. I have also worked on doubling VA home loan guarantees from their 2001 levels; increasing Service members' Group Life Insurance and Veterans' Group Life Insurance to $400,000; and providing grants for veterans to make adaptive changes, like wheelchair ramps and handles in showers. This is all on top of regular increases to the cost of living and dozens of expanded veterans services.
Over the past four years, Congress has passed and President Bush has signed 17 separate bills to improve and expand veterans' benefits and services. This includes expanding the scope and quality of veterans' healthcare service, providing new and increased benefits to disabled veterans, improving job training and placement services for veterans, strengthening employment and reemployment rights for veterans, extending new benefits to veterans' widows and dependents and strengthening legal rights and protections for all service members.
Also in 2004, I worked with my colleagues to pass a historic concurrent receipt benefit for veterans that will provide over $22 billion to more than 250,000 disabled military retirees over the next ten years. Effective January 2005, a retiree rated 100 percent service connected can receive their VA disability and military retirement benefits concurrently. I was also one of the four original co-sponsors of the plan to eliminate the Social Security offset under the Survival Benefit Plan (SBC). This will ensure there will no longer be a discrepancy between the benefits given to military retirees and the benefits given to survivors of other federal retirees.
To be sure, there are still problems to solve. I believe, however, that the challenges that face us in the future will be about adding and upgrading benefits for our veterans, not the complete overhaul that was needed just a little more than a decade ago. Rest assured that as the Congress considers its budget and appropriations, I will work to fulfill our promises to America's service members, military retirees and their families.
The House has increased the veterans' budget by 18 percent in the 109th Congress. The veterans' budget has gone from $66 billion passed for Fiscal Year 2005 to $78 billion for Fiscal Year 2007, an increase of $12 billion. With my support, the Congress also shored up veterans' health care spending, raising its level from $27.8 billion passed in the 108th Congress to $32.3 billion passed for Fiscal Year 2007. I have also worked on doubling VA home loan guarantees from their 2001 levels; increasing Service members' Group Life Insurance and Veterans' Group Life Insurance to $400,000; and providing grants for veterans to make adaptive changes, like wheelchair ramps and handles in showers. This is all on top of regular increases to the cost of living and dozens of expanded veterans services.
Over the past four years, Congress has passed and President Bush has signed 17 separate bills to improve and expand veterans' benefits and services. This includes expanding the scope and quality of veterans' healthcare service, providing new and increased benefits to disabled veterans, improving job training and placement services for veterans, strengthening employment and reemployment rights for veterans, extending new benefits to veterans' widows and dependents and strengthening legal rights and protections for all service members.
Also in 2004, I worked with my colleagues to pass a historic concurrent receipt benefit for veterans that will provide over $22 billion to more than 250,000 disabled military retirees over the next ten years. Effective January 2005, a retiree rated 100 percent service connected can receive their VA disability and military retirement benefits concurrently. I was also one of the four original co-sponsors of the plan to eliminate the Social Security offset under the Survival Benefit Plan (SBC). This will ensure there will no longer be a discrepancy between the benefits given to military retirees and the benefits given to survivors of other federal retirees.
To be sure, there are still problems to solve. I believe, however, that the challenges that face us in the future will be about adding and upgrading benefits for our veterans, not the complete overhaul that was needed just a little more than a decade ago. Rest assured that as the Congress considers its budget and appropriations, I will work to fulfill our promises to America's service members, military retirees and their families.
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