[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 87 (Friday, May 25, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1155]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               VETERANS OUTREACH IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2007

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                               speech of

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 23, 2007

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased that as Memorial Day approaches, 
this Congress is taking concrete action to help our Nation's veterans.
  This week we passed several pieces of legislation designed to both 
make it easier for veterans to get access to health care and to improve 
the quality of that care for those who are returning home from Iraq or 
Afghanistan.
  Sometimes it's hard for veterans or their family members to be 
certain as to what benefits they qualify for and how to apply for them. 
The Veterans Outreach Improvement Act of 2007 (H.R. 67) seeks to 
address this problem by mandating greater coordination between the 
federal and state governments on the availability of programs to help 
veterans. The bill authorizes $75 million between 2007 and 2009 for 
intensified outreach efforts to veterans and their family members.
  Due to geographical constraints, many veterans who return home will 
not have ready access to a military hospital within an easy driving 
distance of their homes. To help remedy this, Congress is taking action 
on the Returning Servicemember VA Healthcare Insurance Act of 2007 
(H.R. 612). This bill extends from 2 years to 5 years the period of 
eligibility for VA health care for veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom 
and Enduring Freedom, regardless of whether or not a veteran has an 
established service-connected condition. As a result, veterans of the 
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will have more time to take advantage of 
VA health care whether or not they're awaiting the processing of a 
disability claim.
  For many veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, access to 
routine medical care will not be enough. A large number of American 
soldiers have experienced traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a result of 
being injured by road-side bombs or snipers. Passage of the Traumatic 
Brain Injury Health Enhancement and Long-Term Support Act of 2007 (H.R. 
2199), of which I am a co-sponsor, will help meet the special needs of 
these veterans.
  This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish:
  A program to screen veterans for traumatic brain injury (TBI);
  A comprehensive program for long-term care of post-acute TBI 
rehabilitation at four geographically dispersed polytrauma networks 
site and to establish TBI transition offices at these same sites to 
help better coordinate the delivery of health care and other services 
to veterans with moderate to severe TBI;
  A registry of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who exhibit TBI symptoms;
  Centers for TBI research, education, and clinical activities;
  A committee on the care of veterans with TBI;
  A pilot program for delivering readjustment counseling and mental 
health services through mobile vet centers; and
  An Advisory Committee on Rural Veterans to help develop 
recommendations on how best to meet the needs of veterans living in 
rural areas.
  Veterans with TBI will require special forms of rehabilitative care 
and follow up for the rest of their lives, and this bill will help 
ensure they get the care and services that they've earned.
  Mr. Speaker, as America pauses this Memorial Day to remember those 
who've gone in harms way for the rest of us, Congress can express its 
thanks to America's veterans by passing these bills today.

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