Dear *******
Thank you for contacting me regarding assistance for members of our Nation's Armed Forces. I appreciate your taking the time to share your views with me on this important issue.

I strongly believe that our government has the obligation to care for those who dedicate their lives to protecting our Nation, and I will continue to do everything I can to support this effort. To this end, I am pleased to inform you that H.R. 1538, the Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act , passed the Senate on July 25, 2007. This important bill is aimed at addressing the system-wide shortfalls that our veterans have faced when they s eek assistance from the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) and to ensure that military personnel are provided the assistance they deserve.

T his bill includes a 3.5 percent pay raise for members of the military, which is half a percent higher than the raise proposed by the Bush Administration. It also reduces the paperwork that veterans must complete to receive disability benefits; increases the number of caseworkers available to help recovering soldiers; requires more frequent inspections of military hospitals and establishes timelines for repairs to ensure that facilities are capable of adequately housing recovering veterans; and establishes an oversight board for wounded personnel to enhance supervision of veterans' care. With regard to mental heath, the bill authorizes $50 million to improve the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of service members with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The legislation also establishes TBI and PTSD centers of excellence to conduct research and develop best practices for addressing these combat related disorders. In addition, the bill creates a new evaluation system for disability rating and increases severance pay for service members with 30 percent or less disability.

As you may know, the Senate has also begun debate on S. 1547, the Defense Authorization Act of 2008. This legislation has various provisions to improve the quality of life of the men and women of the Armed Forces, including first rate health care; to provide service members with the resources, training, and equipment they need to carry out their missions; and to conduct aggressive oversight of the Department of Defense (DOD) and the VA. Among other things, the bill authorizes the payment of combat-related compensation to service members who are medically retired because of a combat-related disability (under current law, only those retired with 20 or more years of service are eligible for this payment); rejects the Bush Administration's proposal to increase TRICARE program fees for military retirees; and reduces the age at which a member of a reserve component may draw retirement pay. A variety of amendments have been introduced in relation to S. 1547, and I look forward to supporting efforts to further improve this legislation.

I have also cosponsored several pieces of legislation aimed at improving veterans' care and providing for our Nation's military personnel. For example, I am a proud cosponsor of S. 439, the Retired Pay Restoration Act of 2007. This legislation addresses an injustice that impacts more than 500,000 disabled veterans by permitting all retired members of the Armed Forces who have a service connected disability to receive both their military retired pay and full disability compensation from the VA. I am also a cosponsor of S. 604, the Military Healthcare Protection Act, which responds to the Administration's attempts to increase health care fees for military retirees who are ineligible for Medicare. Specifically, it limits the increases in the DOD pharmacy benefits program and premiums and other charges in TRICARE. It also prohibits charges for DOD inpatient care from exceeding $535 per day, as well as prohibits an enrollment fee under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS). Lastly, the bill ensures that no one can be denied a claim for having failed to enroll in that program.

I also strongly support appealing the reduction of survivor annuities under the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) by veterans' dependency and indemnity compensation, and I am please d that a bill I cosponsored, S. 935, was included in the Defense Authorization Act. I am also a cosponsor of S. 22, the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2007, which improves access to educational assistance under the Montgomery GI bill. In addition, I am a cosponsor of S. 430, the National Guard Empowerment Act of 2007, which expands the power of the Chief of the Bureau of the National Guard, including membership on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In addition, this legislation requires annual budget justification documents to include separate amounts for Guard training and equipment for military assistance for civil authorities.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. I encourage you to contact me again regarding this or any other issue of importance to you and your community.

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Sincerely,

JEFF BINGAMAN
United States Senator