3.0.0 2640 2017-12-14T23:56:24Z 2017-12-14T23:56:24Z Senate S S 2008-02-14 110 ssva00 Veterans' Affairs Committee Senate Standing Referred to 2008-02-14T18:41:21Z 2008-02-14 ssva00 Veterans' Affairs Committee Senate Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. IntroReferral 2008-02-14 Introduced in Senate IntroReferral 10000 9 Library of Congress B001135 Sen. Burr, Richard [R-NC] Richard Burr R NC Mauze N C001056 Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] John Cornyn R TX 2008-02-14 True C000858 Sen. Craig, Larry E. [R-ID] LARRY CRAIG R ID EDWIN 2008-02-14 True I000055 Sen. Isakson, Johnny [R-GA] Johnny Isakson R GA 2008-02-27 False V000127 Sen. Vitter, David [R-LA] David Vitter R LA 2008-04-22 False I000024 Sen. Inhofe, James M. [R-OK] Jim Inhofe R OK 2008-04-22 False Armed Forces and National Security Afghanistan Air force Appellate courts Apprenticeship Armed forces abroad Armed forces reserves Automobiles Burns Cemeteries and funerals Commerce Congress Congressional investigations Congressional reporting requirements Contracts Cost of living adjustments Counseling Courthouses Courts of special jurisdiction Disabled East Asia Education Epidemiology Ex-prisoners of war Families Finance and Financial Sector Government Operations and Politics Government life insurance Government publicity Governmental investigations Health Health surveys Higher education History Home repair and improvement Housing and Community Development Housing for the disabled Insurance premiums Iraq Iraq compilation Judges Judicial compensation Judicial tenure Labor and Employment Law Life insurance Medical research Middle East and North Africa Military dependents Military housing Military operations Mortgages Multiple sclerosis National Guard Osteoporosis Performance measurement Persian Gulf War Philippines Post-traumatic stress disorder Science, Technology, Communications Self-help devices for the disabled Social Welfare South Asia Survivors' benefits Transportation and Public Works Transportation and the disabled Trauma care Trusts and trustees Unemployment Veterans' benefits Veterans' disability compensation Veterans' education Veterans' employment Veterans' medical care Veterans' pensions War casualties Wireless communication World War II Armed Forces and National Security 00 2008-02-14 Introduced in Senate 2008-07-03T22:12:54Z Veterans' Benefits Enhancement Act of 2008 - Revises veterans' insurance benefits matters to: (1) direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Secretary) to grant level-premium term life insurance to certain service-disabled veterans; (2) increase the maximum amount of supplemental service disabled veterans' insurance for totally disabled veterans; (3) provide retroactive traumatic injury coverage under the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) program for certain members of the Armed Forces who incurred a traumatic injury in the line of duty; (4) provide for the designation of a recipient of funds for traumatic injury coverage when the member is mentally incapacitated or experiencing an extended loss of consciousness; and (5) increase the maximum loan guarantee amount under the veterans' mortgage life insurance program.

Revises veterans' housing benefits matters to: (1) allow home improvements and structural alterations for totally disabled members likely to be discharged or released from service; (2) make eligible for specially adapted housing benefits and assistance members with certain severe service-connected disabilities and veterans with such disabilities residing outside the United States; (3) authorize the provision of such assistance for veterans with a severe burn disability and disabled veterans residing temporarily in housing owned by a family member; and (4) increase specially adapted housing benefits for disabled veterans.

Revises veterans' employment and education matters to: (1) require coordination of veterans' educational course approval activities with those performed by the Departments of Labor and Education and other appropriate entities; (2) enhance the authority for reimbursing expenses of state approving agencies; (3) waive the residency requirement for a Director for Veterans' Employment and Training; (4) extend through 2009 an increase in benefits for veterans pursuing apprenticeships or on-job training; and (5) increase supplemental educational assistance for members of the Selected Reserve with certain skills or specialties.

Deems certain service performed with the military forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Scouts as active U.S. military service for purposes of eligibility for veterans' benefits. Entitles children of such Filipino veterans to the same rate of educational assistance entitlement as children of other veterans.

Revises provisions concerning the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims to: (1) eliminate the service limit for retired judges who voluntarily return to the Court; (2) remove the annual limit on Court registration and practice fees; and (3) require reports on Court workloads and expansion of Court facilities.

Revises veterans' compensation and pension matters to: (1) add osteoporosis to the disabilities presumed to be service-connected in former prisoners of war with post-traumatic stress disorder; and (2) provide an annual cost-of-living adjustment to temporary dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) payable to surviving spouses with dependent children under 18 years old.

Provides an annual adjustment for veterans' burial benefits.

Increases eligibility for, and the amount of, assistance provided to disabled veterans for the purchase of automobiles and adaptive equipment.

Allows for the termination or suspension of cellular phone contracts for members undergoing deployments of 90 days or more outside the United States.

Provides for the maintenance, management, and availability for research of assets of the Air Force Health Study.

Requires: (1) a study on the risk of developing multiple sclerosis as a result of certain military service; and (2) a report on the adequacy of DIC to support survivors of veterans who die from service-connected disabilities.

]]> Veterans' Benefits Enhancement Act of 2008 Short Titles as Introduced Veterans' Benefits Enhancement Act of 2008 Display Title Veterans' Benefits Enhancement Act of 2008 Official Title as Introduced A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to enhance and improve insurance, housing, labor and education, and other benefits for veterans, and for other purposes. Introduced in Senate 2008-02-14T05:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-110s2640is/xml/BILLS-110s2640is.xml 2008-02-14 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.