[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 59 (Tuesday, April 15, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3030-S3031]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. AKAKA:
  S. 2864. A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to include 
improvement in quality of life in the objectives of training and 
rehabilitation for veterans with service-connected disabilities, and 
for other purposes; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  On page S3030, April 15, 2008, in the second column, the 
following appears: S. 2864. A bill to amend title 38, United 
States Code, to improvement in quality of life in the objectives 
of training and rehabilitation for veterans with service-connected 
disabilities, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs.
  
  The online version was corrected to read: S. 2864. A bill to 
amend title 38, United States Code, to include improvement in 
quality of life in the objectives of training and rehabilitation 
for veterans with service-connected disabilities, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 

  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I am introducing today the proposed 
Training and Rehabilitation for Disabled Veterans Enhancement Act of 
2008. This measure would make two small but, I believe, necessary 
changes in the Department of Veterans' Affairs program of Independent 
Living services conducted under the authority of chapter 31 of title 
38, United States Code.
  VA's IL Program was first established in 1980 by Public Law 96-466, 
the Veterans Rehabilitation and Education Amendments of 1980. 
Initially, that law provided for the establishment of a 4-year pilot 
program designed to provide independent living services for severely 
disabled veterans for whom the achievement of a vocational goal was not 
reasonably feasible. The number of veterans who could be accepted 
annually into the pilot program was capped at 500. In 1986, the program 
was extended through 1989 and then, in 1989, it was made in Public Law 
101-237, the Veterans' Benefits Amendments of 1989. In 2001, the 500 
annual cap on enrollees was increased to 2,500.
  The measure I am introducing would remove any cap on the number of 
enrollees in any year. In earlier years, as a pilot project, the cap 
may have been appropriate in order to give VA an opportunity to manage 
the program in the most effective manner possible and in 2001, it made 
sense to increase that cap in light of the increased demand and need 
for the program.
  Now, however, it makes sense to lift the cap altogether. This is 
especially so since this important program is designed to meet the 
needs of the most severely service-connected disabled veterans and more 
and more of those returning from combat have suffered the kind of 
devastating injuries that may make employment not reasonably feasible 
for extended periods of time.
  The VA's Inspector General found, in a report issued in December of 
last year, that ``the effect of the statutory cap has been to delay IL 
services to severely disabled veterans.'' This delay happens because VA 
has developed a procedure that holds veterans in a planning and 
evaluation stage when the statutory cap may be in danger of being 
exceeded.
  The bill I am introducing today would eliminate the cap entirely as 
recommended by VA's IG. It would also make the program mandatory rather 
than a discretionary pilot effort and would include improvement in 
quality of life an objective of training and rehabilitation for 
veterans with service-connected disability who are participating in 
programs of IL services. For these veterans--with respect to whom it 
has been determined that employment is not a present, reasonably 
feasible option but one that may be feasible in the future--it seems 
appropriate to look not only at future employment prospects but also 
toward improving the individual's quality of

[[Page S3031]]

life. Such an approach may very well lead to bettering an individual's 
chances of rehabilitation and future employment.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
placed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 2864

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Training and Rehabilitation 
     for Disabled Veterans Enhancement Act of 2008''.

     SEC. 2. INCLUSION OF IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF LIFE AS 
                   OBJECTIVE OF TRAINING AND REHABILITATION FOR 
                   VETERANS WITH SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITIES.

       (a) Inclusion in Services and Assistance Under Training and 
     Rehabilitation.--Section 3104(a)(15) of title 38, United 
     States Code, is amended by inserting before the period at the 
     end the following: ``and to improve a veteran's quality of 
     life''.
       (b) Independent Living Services and Assistance.--
       (1) Entitlement of certain veterans.--Section 3109 of such 
     title is amended by inserting before the period at the end 
     the following: ``and to improve such veteran's quality of 
     life''.
       (2) Program of services and assistance.--Section 3120 of 
     such title is amended--
       (A) in subsection (a), by striking ``may'' and inserting 
     ``shall''; and
       (B) in subsection (d), by inserting before the period at 
     the end of the first sentence the following: ``and to improve 
     such veteran's quality of life''.

     SEC. 3. REPEAL OF LIMITATION ON NUMBER OF VETERANS ENROLLED 
                   IN PROGRAMS OF INDEPENDENT LIVING SERVICES AND 
                   ASSISTANCE.

       Section 3120 of title 38, United States Code, as amended by 
     section 2 of this Act, is further amended--
       (1) by striking subsection (e); and
       (2) by redesignating subsection (f) as subsection (e).
                                 ______