White Haven VFW

Disabled Veterans Life Insurance Act of 2017: Representatives Steve Pearce (R-NM) and Walter Jones (R-NC) introduced H.R. 4146, the Disabled Veterans Life Insurance Act of 2017. This VFW-supported legislation would amend title 38 of the United States Code to update the Service-Disabled Veterans Insurance (S-DVI) tables to reflect the 2017 inflation rate, increasing the current cap from $10,000 to $95,000 and would create a process for adjusting the cap based on inflation each year. Additionally, this bill would increase the filling and enrollment limitation from two years to 10 years and include enrollment waiver options, thereby fixing many of the issues that exist within the S-DVI program.

Senator Bill Cassidy (LA), a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, introduced S. 1261, the Veterans Emergency Room Relief Act of 2017. This bill would require VA to contract with community urgent care providers and pay reasonable costs for such care provided to veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system and have received care in the system within the preceding two years. It would also establish cost-sharing amounts for certain veterans receiving care ...at a VA emergency room. However, veterans who are hospitalized as a result of their urgent care visit and veterans seeking care for a service-connected condition in addition to veterans meeting criteria for hardship exceptions would be exempt from copayments. DAV Resolution 242 calls upon Congress to authorize urgent care as part of VA's basic health benefits package. Please write your Senators and urge their co-sponsorship and support for passage of S. 1261. Thank you for your continued efforts and participation in the DAV Commander's Action Network. Click the link below to log in and send your message: https://www.votervoice.net/Broadcast/NTjT0oOIXmhz64FBqX20qA

DAV supports S. 833, the Servicemembers and Veterans Empowerment and Support Act of 2017, in accordance with DAV Resolution No. 042, which calls for improvement to the process for determining service connection for conditions related to military sexual trauma (MST). Enacting this legislation would expand MST counseling and treatment and ease some of the evidentiary requirements for veterans filing claims for service-connection for conditions related to the after-effects of a ...MST. Sexual trauma during military service is ever more recognized as a hazard of service for one percent of men and 20 percent of women who have served. It often results in mental health conditions for veterans and the need for complex care and specialized treatment from VA. An absence of documentation of MST in the personnel or military unit records of individuals often prevents or obstructs adjudication of claims for disabilities of veterans suffering the devastating after-effects of sexual trauma associated with military service. Accordingly, based on an internal survey, VA verified that grant rates for post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from MST were 17 to 30 percent below grant rates for PTSD resulting from other causes. S. 833 would relax the standard of proof for MST-related claims using mental health professionals to verify a mental health diagnosis and opine about the likelihood of MST occurring given the veteran's circumstances and conditions. Furthermore, the bill would require VA to resolve every reasonable doubt in favor of the veteran with the reasons for granting or denying service-connection recorded in full. Please use the prepared email to urge your Senators to cosponsor and support for final passage, S. 833, the Servicemembers and Veterans Empowerment and Support Act of 2017. Click the link below to log in and send your message: https://www.votervoice.net/Broadcast/jRXniyJIMqRm306ORTi6uw --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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