— by Vickie Rock, Humboldt Dems Secretary and proud Navy Veteran
Today, S1982 came up for a vote in the Senate. S1982 is the Comprehensive Veterans Health and Benefits and Military Retirement Pay Restoration Act of 2014. S1982 amends federal veterans provisions revising or adding provisions concerning medical services and other benefits provided to veterans and/or their dependents through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in the following areas:
- survivor and dependent matters, including benefits for children of certain veterans born with spina bifida;
- education matters, including the approval of courses for purposes of the All-Volunteer Force and the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance programs;
- the expansion and extension of certain health care benefits, including immunizations, chiropractic care, treatment for traumatic brain injury, and wellness promotion;
- health care administration, including extension of the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Professional Scholarship Program, and
- complementary and alternative medicine;
- mental health care, including an education program and peer support program for family members and caregivers of veterans with mental health disorders;
- dental care eligibility and expansion, including a program of education to promote dental health in veterans;
- health care related to sexual trauma, including appropriate counseling and treatment and a screening mechanism to detect incidents of domestic abuse;
- reproductive treatment and services, including fertility counseling as well as adoption assistance for severely wounded veterans;
- major medical facility leases;
- veterans’ employment training and related services;
- veterans’ employment, including within the federal government and as first responders;
- career transition services;
- employment and reemployment rights of members of the Armed Forces after active duty service;
- small business matters, including contracting and subcontracting participation goals with federal departments and agencies;
- administrative matters, including regional support centers for Veterans Integrated Service Networks;
- the revision of claims based on military sexual trauma as well as claims for dependency and indemnity compensation;
- jurisdictional matters, including with respect to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals and the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims;
- the revision of certain rights under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, including protections with respect to the expiration of professional licenses, a prohibition on the denial of credit or the termination of residential leases due to military service, and the temporary protection of surviving spouses under mortgage foreclosures; and
- outreach and miscellaneous matters, including: (1) repeal of the provision of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 that reduces the cost-of-living adjustment to the retirement pay of members of the Armed Forces under age 62, and (2) the accounting for discretionary accounts designated for overseas contingency operations/global war on terrorism.
When the bill came up for a vote, we witnessed pure unadulterated partisanship run amok as 41 reprehensible members of the REPUBLIBAN displayed their disdain, not support, for our troops and voted against passage of S1982:
Alexander (R-TN) . Ayotte (R-NH) . Barrasso (R-WY) . Blunt (R-MO) . Boozman (R-AR) . Burr (R-NC) . Chambliss (R-GA) . Coats (R-IN) . Coburn (R-OK) . Cochran (R-MS) . Collins (R-ME) . Corker (R-TN) . Cornyn (R-TX) . Crapo (R-ID) . Cruz (R-TX) . Enzi (R-WY) . Fischer (R-NE) . Flake (R-AZ) . Graham (R-SC) . Grassley (R-IA) . Hatch (R-UT) . Hoeven (R-ND) . Inhofe (R-OK) . Isakson (R-GA) . Johanns (R-NE) . Johnson (R-WI) . Kirk (R-IL) . Lee (R-UT) . McCain (R-AZ) . McConnell (R-KY) . Paul (R-KY) . Portman (R-OH) . Risch (R-ID) . Roberts (R-KS) . Rubio (R-FL) . Scott (R-SC) . Sessions (R-AL) . Shelby (R-AL) . Thune (R-SD) . Toomey (R-PA) . Vitter (R-LA)
It’s one thing to shut down our Government because they don’t want to pay the bills that they authorized and that they had already incurred. It’s another thing entirely when they send our children to unwarranted wars and then refuse to provide necessary funding to support healthcare for the injuries of war incurred, PTSD, sexual trauma, traumatic brain injuries, et.al. Our troops should never be thrown out with the trash like these Tartufes did today. This is an election year. It’s time for voters across this nation to take out the Senatorial trash.