[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 264 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 264

   Expressing the opposition of the House of Representatives to any 
   proposal intended to alter current law to allow the Department of 
Veterans Affairs to bill third-party insurers of veterans who are being 
        treated for service-connected disabilities or injuries.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 19, 2009

  Mr. Stearns (for himself, Mr. Buyer, Mr. Miller of Florida, and Mr. 
 Frelinghuysen) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
                 to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Expressing the opposition of the House of Representatives to any 
   proposal intended to alter current law to allow the Department of 
Veterans Affairs to bill third-party insurers of veterans who are being 
        treated for service-connected disabilities or injuries.

Whereas section 1729 of title 38, United States Code, states that the Department 
        of Veterans Affairs may only recover costs from a veteran's private 
        insurer for treatment of a non-service-connected disability;
Whereas nationally recognized veterans service organizations have expressed 
        serious concern about a policy proposed by President Obama that would 
        allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to bill a veteran's private 
        insurer for the care and treatment of a disability or injury that was 
        determined to have been incurred in or aggravated by the veteran's 
        military service;
Whereas nearly three out of every four of the 25,000,000 veterans still living 
        have served during a war or an official period of hostility;
Whereas the mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs is ``to care for him 
        who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan'';
Whereas the Department of Veterans Affairs has committed to providing veterans 
        ``the world-class benefits and services they have earned--and to do so 
        by adhering to the highest standards of compassion, commitment, 
        excellence, professionalism, integrity, accountability, and 
        stewardship''; and
Whereas any proposal intended to bill veterans for the care of their service-
        connected disabilities ignores the solemn promise and obligation the 
        United States of America has to care for the brave men and women who 
        have served the country honorably and have risked their lives and 
        physical well-being to ensure the freedom of its people: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives opposes any proposal 
intended to alter current law to allow the Department of Veterans 
Affairs to bill third-party insurers of veterans who are being treated 
for service-connected disabilities or injuries determined to have been 
incurred in or aggravated by the veteran's military service.
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