[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 132 (Tuesday, September 28, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H7013-H7017]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     VETERANS BENEFITS AND ECONOMIC WELFARE IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2010

  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 6132) to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a 
transition program for new veterans, to improve the disability claim 
system, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6132

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

       (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans 
     Benefits and Economic Welfare Improvement Act of 2010''.
       (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act 
     is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Military transition program.
Sec. 3. Waiver of claim development period for claims under laws 
              administered by Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Sec. 4. Tolling of timing of review for appeals of final decisions of 
              Board of Veterans' Appeals.
Sec. 5. Exclusion of certain amounts from determination of annual 
              income with respect to pensions for veterans and 
              surviving spouses and children of veterans.

[[Page H7014]]

Sec. 6. Extension of authority of Secretary of Veterans Affairs to 
              obtain certain income information from other agencies.
Sec. 7. VetStar Award program.
Sec. 8. Increase in amount of pension for Medal of Honor recipients.
Sec. 9. Compliance with Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.

     SEC. 2. MILITARY TRANSITION PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--Chapter 41 of title 38, United States 
     Code, is amended by inserting after section 4114 the 
     following new section:

     ``Sec. 4115. Military transition program

       ``(a) Establishment; Eligibility.--(1) Subject to the 
     availability of appropriations for such purpose, the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Assistant Secretary of 
     Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training shall jointly 
     carry out a program of training to provide eligible veterans 
     with skills relevant to the job market.
       ``(2) For purposes of this section, the term `eligible 
     veteran' means any veteran whom the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs determines--
       ``(A) is not otherwise eligible for education or training 
     services under this title;
       ``(B) has not acquired a marketable skill since being 
     separated or released from service in the Armed Forces;
       ``(C) was discharged under honorable conditions; and
       ``(D)(i) has been unemployed for at least 90 days during 
     the 180-day period preceding the date of application for the 
     program established under this section; or
       ``(ii) during such 180-day period received a maximum hourly 
     rate of pay of not more than 150 percent of the Federal 
     minimum wage.
       ``(b) Apprenticeship or On-the-Job Training Program.--The 
     program established under this section shall provide for 
     payments to employers who provide for eligible veterans a 
     program of apprenticeship or on-the-job training if--
       ``(1) such program is approved as provided in paragraph (1) 
     or (2) of section 3687(a) of this title;
       ``(2) the rate of pay for veterans participating in the 
     program is not less than the rate of pay for nonveterans in 
     similar jobs; and
       ``(3) the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' 
     Employment and Training reasonably expects that--
       ``(A) the veteran will be qualified for employment in that 
     field upon completion of training; and
       ``(B) the employer providing the program will continue to 
     employ the veteran at the completion of training.
       ``(c) Payments to Employers.--(1) Subject to the 
     availability of appropriations for such purpose, the 
     Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment and 
     Training shall enter into contracts with employers to provide 
     programs of apprenticeship or on-the-job training that meet 
     the requirements of this section. Each such contract shall 
     provide for the payment of the amounts described in paragraph 
     (2) to employers whose programs meet such requirements.
       ``(2) The amount paid under this section with respect to 
     any eligible veteran for any period shall be 50 percent of 
     the wages paid by the employer to such veteran for such 
     period. Wages shall be calculated on an hourly basis.
       ``(3)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B)--
       ``(i) the amount paid under this section with respect to a 
     veteran participating in the program established under this 
     section may not exceed $20,000 in the aggregate or $1,666.67 
     per month; and
       ``(ii) such payments may only be made during the first 12 
     months of such veteran's participation in the program.
       ``(B) In the case of a veteran participating in the program 
     on a less than full-time basis, the Assistant Secretary of 
     Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training may extend the 
     number of months of payments under subparagraph (A) and 
     proportionally adjust the amount of such payments, but the 
     aggregate amount paid with respect to such veteran may not 
     exceed $20,000 and the maximum number of months of such 
     payments may not exceed 24 months.
       ``(4) Payments under this section shall be made on a 
     quarterly basis.
       ``(5) Each employer providing a program of apprenticeship 
     or on-the-job training pursuant to this section shall submit 
     to the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment 
     and Training on a quarterly basis a report certifying the 
     wages paid to eligible veterans under such program (which 
     shall be certified by the veteran as being correct) and 
     containing such other information as the Assistant Secretary 
     may specify. Such report shall be submitted in the form and 
     manner required by the Assistant Secretary.
       ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for 
     each fiscal year for which the program is carried out.
       ``(e) Reporting.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in 
     coordination with the Assistant Secretary of Labor for 
     Veterans' Employment and Training, shall include a 
     description of activities carried out under this section in 
     the annual report prepared submitted under section 529 of 
     this title.
       ``(f) Termination.--The authority to carry out a program 
     under this section shall terminate on September 30, 2016.''.
       (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the 
     beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the 
     item relating to section 4114 the following new item:

``4115. Military transition program''.

       (c) Conforming Amendments.--(1) Subsection (a)(1) of 
     section 3034 of such title is amended by striking ``and 
     3687'' and inserting ``3687, and 4115''.
       (2) Subsections (a)(1) and (c) of section 3241 of such 
     title are each amended by striking ``section 3687'' and 
     inserting ``sections 3687 and 4115''.
       (3) Subsection (d)(1) of section 3672 of such title is 
     amended by striking ``and 3687'' and inserting ``3687, and 
     4115''.
       (4) Paragraph (3) of section 4102A(b) of such title is 
     amended by striking ``section 3687'' and inserting ``section 
     3687 or 4115''.
       (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section 
     shall take effect on the date that is one year after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act.

     SEC. 3. WAIVER OF CLAIM DEVELOPMENT PERIOD FOR CLAIMS UNDER 
                   LAWS ADMINISTERED BY SECRETARY OF VETERANS 
                   AFFAIRS.

       (a) In General.--Section 5101 of title 38, United States 
     Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
     subsection:
       ``(d)(1) If a claimant submits to the Secretary a claim 
     that the Secretary determines is a fully developed claim, the 
     Secretary shall provide--
       ``(A) the claimant with the opportunity to waive any claim 
     development period otherwise made available by the Secretary 
     with respect to such claim; and
       ``(B) expeditious treatment to such claim.
       ``(2) If a person submits to the Secretary any written 
     notification sufficient to inform the Secretary that the 
     person plans to submit a fully developed claim and, not later 
     than one year after submitting such notification submits to 
     the Secretary a claim that the Secretary determines is a 
     fully developed claim, the Secretary shall provide 
     expeditious treatment to the claim.
       ``(3) If the Secretary determines that a claim submitted by 
     a claimant as a fully developed claim is not fully developed, 
     the Secretary shall provide such claimant with the notice 
     described in section 5103(a) within 30 days after the 
     Secretary makes such determination.
       ``(4) For purposes of this section:
       ``(A) The term `fully developed claim' means a claim--
       ``(i) for which the claimant--
       ``(I) received assistance from a veterans service officer, 
     a State or county veterans service organization, an agent, or 
     an attorney; or
       ``(II) submits, together with the claim, an appropriate 
     indication that the claimant does not intend to submit any 
     additional information or evidence in support of the claim 
     and does not require additional assistance with respect to 
     the claim; and
       ``(ii) for which the claimant or the claimant's 
     representative, if any, each signs, dates, and submits a 
     certification in writing stating that, as of such date, no 
     additional information or evidence is available or needs to 
     be submitted in order for the claim to be adjudicated.
       ``(B) The term `expeditious treatment' means, with respect 
     to a claim for benefits under the laws administered by the 
     Secretary, treatment of such claim so that the claim is fully 
     processed and adjudicated within 90 days after the Secretary 
     receives an application for such claim.''.
       (b) Appeals Form Availability.--Subsection (b) of section 
     5104 of such title is amended--
       (1) by striking ``and (2)'' and inserting ``(2)''; and
       (2) by inserting before the period at the end the 
     following: ``, and (3) any form or application required by 
     the Secretary to appeal such decision''.
       (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section 
     shall apply with respect to claims submitted on or after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act.

     SEC. 4. TOLLING OF TIMING OF REVIEW FOR APPEALS OF FINAL 
                   DECISIONS OF BOARD OF VETERANS' APPEALS.

       (a) In General.--Section 7266(a) of title 38, United States 
     Code, is amended--
       (1) by striking ``In order'' and inserting ``(1) Except as 
     provided in paragraph (2), in order''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
       ``(2)(A) The 120-day period described in paragraph (1) 
     shall be extended upon a showing of good cause for such time 
     as justice may require.
       ``(B) For purposes of this paragraph, it shall be 
     considered good cause if a person was unable to file a notice 
     of appeal within the 120-day period because of the person's 
     service-connected disability.''.
       (b) Applicability.--
       (1) In general.--Paragraph (2) of section 7266(a) of such 
     title, as added by subsection (a), shall apply to a notice of 
     appeal filed with respect to a final decision of the Board of 
     Veterans' Appeals that was issued on or after July 24, 2008.
       (2) Reinstatement.--Any petition for review filed with the 
     Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims that was dismissed by 
     such Court on or after July 24, 2008, as untimely, shall, 
     upon the filing of a petition by an adversely affected person 
     filed not later than six months after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, be reinstated upon a showing that the 
     petitioner had good cause for filing the petition on the date 
     it was filed.

[[Page H7015]]

     SEC. 5. EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN AMOUNTS FROM DETERMINATION OF 
                   ANNUAL INCOME WITH RESPECT TO PENSIONS FOR 
                   VETERANS AND SURVIVING SPOUSES AND CHILDREN OF 
                   VETERANS.

       (a) Certain Amounts Paid for Reimbursements and for Pain 
     and Suffering.--Paragraph (5) of section 1503(a) of title 38, 
     United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
       ``(5) payments regarding--
       ``(A) reimbursements of any kind (including insurance 
     settlement payments) for--
       ``(i) expenses related to the repayment, replacement, or 
     repair of equipment, vehicles, items, money, or property 
     resulting from--

       ``(I) any accident (as defined in regulations which the 
     Secretary shall prescribe), but the amount excluded under 
     this subclause shall not exceed the greater of the fair 
     market value or reasonable replacement value of the equipment 
     or vehicle involved at the time immediately preceding the 
     accident;
       ``(II) any theft or loss (as defined in regulations which 
     the Secretary shall prescribe), but the amount excluded under 
     this subclause shall not exceed the greater of the fair 
     market value or reasonable replacement value of the item or 
     the amount of the money (including legal tender of the United 
     States or of a foreign country) involved at the time 
     immediately preceding the theft or loss; or
       ``(III) any casualty loss (as defined in regulations which 
     the Secretary shall prescribe), but the amount excluded under 
     this subclause shall not exceed the greater of the fair 
     market value or reasonable replacement value of the property 
     involved at the time immediately preceding the casualty loss; 
     and

       ``(ii) medical expenses resulting from any accident, theft, 
     loss, or casualty loss (as defined in regulations which the 
     Secretary shall prescribe), but the amount excluded under 
     this clause shall not exceed the costs of medical care 
     provided to the victim of the accident, theft, loss, or 
     casualty loss; and
       ``(B) pain and suffering (including insurance settlement 
     payments and general damages awarded by a court) related to 
     an accident, theft, loss, or casualty loss, but the amount 
     excluded under this subparagraph shall not exceed an amount 
     determined by the Secretary on a case-by-case basis;''.
       (b) Certain Amounts Paid by States and Municipalities as 
     Veterans Benefits.--Section 1503(a) of title 38, United 
     States Code, is amended--
       (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (10);
       (2) by redesignating paragraph (11) as paragraph (12); and
       (3) by inserting after paragraph (10) the following new 
     paragraph (11):
       ``(11) payment of a monetary amount of up to $5,000 to a 
     veteran from a State or municipality that is paid as a 
     veterans' benefit due to injury or disease; and''.
       (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsections (a) 
     and (b) shall apply with respect to determinations of income 
     for calendar years beginning after October 1, 2011.

     SEC. 6. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY OF VETERANS 
                   AFFAIRS TO OBTAIN CERTAIN INCOME INFORMATION 
                   FROM OTHER AGENCIES.

       Section 5317 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 
     striking ``September 30, 2011'' and inserting ``September 30, 
     2015''.

     SEC. 7. VETSTAR AWARD PROGRAM.

       (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
     establish an award program, to be known as the ``VetStar 
     Award Program'', to annually recognize businesses for their 
     contributions to veterans' employment.
       (b) Administration.--The Secretary shall establish a 
     process for the administration of the award program, 
     including criteria for--
       (1) categories and sectors of businesses eligible for 
     recognition each year; and
       (2) objective measures to be used in selecting businesses 
     to receive the award.
       (c) Veteran Defined.--In this section, the term ``veteran'' 
     has the meaning given that term in section 101(2) of title 
     38, United States Code.

     SEC. 8. INCREASE IN AMOUNT OF PENSION FOR MEDAL OF HONOR 
                   RECIPIENTS.

       Section 1562(a) of title 38, United States Code, is amended 
     by striking ``$1,000'' and inserting ``$2,000''.

     SEC. 9. COMPLIANCE WITH STATUTORY PAY-AS-YOU-GO ACT OF 2010.

       The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
     complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall 
     be determined by reference to the latest statement titled 
     ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, 
     submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the 
     Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such 
     statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Filner) and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. FILNER. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 
legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H.R. 6132, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bill, H.R. 6132.
  Once again, this attacks a part of the employment problem that I 
mentioned earlier, and many members of our committee worked on this. 
Not only Chairwoman Herseth Sandlin of the Subcommittee on Economic 
Opportunity but its ranking member, Mr. Boozman, plus our colleagues 
Mr. Welch from Vermont and Mr. Teague from New Mexico. It again helps 
our veterans find jobs. And Congressman Donnelly from Indiana, 
Congressman Adler from New Jersey, and Congressman Hastings of Florida 
all contributed to this, along with Chairman Hall of the Disability 
Assistance Subcommittee and his Ranking Member Lamborn of Colorado.
  I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1300

  Mr. BUYER. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, you are moving fast today. Had I known, I would have 
been here for the first bill. And I am serious about that comment. You 
have to give us adequate time to get to the floor so we can respond to 
the bills.
  I am recognized, and I am making a statement, because I am really 
upset. I am upset because this is the way the majority has been running 
the Congress, Mr. Speaker.
  If you want to know why the American people are upset with the 
majority, it is because of this. If you don't give adequate notice to 
even a ranking member to be on the floor on bills, people are going to 
know. Do you know why they are going to know? Because I am going to 
tell the story. Rules matter around this place.
  Now, let me go back to the first bill. The only reason I mention this 
is because I want to thank--you just passed it, by voice vote.
  Let me tell you what is upsetting, something else that matters around 
here, and it is the Parliamentarian. You drop that bill, and the 
Parliamentarian makes those bills go to the appropriate jurisdictions. 
Something may get added by amendment to a particular bill that some 
other committee thinks that they want a view on it. Then what happens 
is the majority, not giving a doggone about the minority, puts bills 
onto this floor, whatever they want to do, so long as it is in comfort 
with someone else. They don't care about the minority or what our views 
are, so they just put it on the floor.
  So once again we try to change the ``may'' to ``shall'' language in 
the last bill. The Small Business Committee prevents it. Now, why would 
you do that? Why would the Small Business Committee, run by the 
Democrat majority, alienate the disabled veterans? Why do you keep 
doing this? We keep appealing to you to place the disabled veteran in a 
higher position with regard to other set-asides, and you won't do it.
  Mr. President, don't stand up and tell the American people, well, now 
we are going to focus on small business. Or, Madam Speaker, don't stand 
up and say we are now going to focus on small business. What did you do 
at the moment of calling? At the moment of calling, when you had an 
opportunity to do something about it, what did you do? Don't give the 
American people rhetoric. What did you do at the moment of acting? Oh, 
no, no, no, we are not going to do it.
  Oh, you do your stimulus bill. I want to respond to a $1 billion 
small business bill on veterans. No, we're not going to do that; we are 
going to do VA construction.
  Now you say, oh, my gosh, what are we going to do to stimulate small 
business? You had your opportunity over and over and over.
  So, yes, I am pretty upset, Mr. Speaker. I am really upset. I am 
upset at what happened on that last bill. I am retiring. I am leaving 
Congress. And I am hopeful that the chairman--that you are as 
pugnacious as you can be and focus on that to help that disabled 
veteran, and change that language, Mr. Filner, from ``may'' to 
``shall,'' and I think it will go a very long way.
  Mr. Speaker, with regard to the bill in front of us, I rise in 
support of it. It

[[Page H7016]]

is the Veterans Benefits and Economic Welfare Improvement Act of 2010. 
It is a bipartisan, omnibus veterans benefits bill that includes many 
provisions that help veterans and their families.
  H.R. 6132 will assist transitioning servicemembers by creating a new 
program through the Veterans Employment and Training Service to assist 
unemployed veterans who are not eligible for other VA education 
programs by creating a new on-the-job training and apprenticeship 
program.
  The bill also codifies programs that the VA is currently using to 
transform its disability claims processing system and provide veterans 
the right to equitable tolling when a claim reaches the Board of 
Veterans' Claims.
  The bill would assist pensioners by excluding the repayment of 
medical expenses or medical insurance awards or settlements from the 
veteran's annual income when determining their pension amount.
  I am also pleased and also appreciate the chairman's supporting of 
the provision by the ranking member, Henry Brown of the Subcommittee on 
Health to increase the pension for Medal of Honor recipients to $2,000 
a month.
  Mr. Speaker, while I am sure we all agree that the provisions in this 
bill are laudable, it is unfortunate that certain provisions have also 
been left out.
  Ranking Member Boozman of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity 
was also successful at the full committee markup of this bill in adding 
a provision that would have protected the veteran's Second Amendment 
right to bear arms. His amendment would have prevented veterans from 
losing this right without a judicial decision or due process. The 
amendment was agreed to by voice vote.
  The provision was supported by the American Legion, AMVETS, the 
Veterans of Foreign Wars, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the 
NRA, and the Gun Owners of America. Chairman Conyers of the Judiciary 
Committee raised questions on the jurisdictional issue regarding the 
provision and insisted that it be taken out.
  Here we go again. So to America, bills are coming to the floor, 
people are yanking things out of the bill. So what is happening is we 
are rushing bills to the floor, rather than allow them to be properly 
vetted through all jurisdictions. We are not going to do that.
  So what do we have? We have a bill now on the floor that had a gun 
provision taken out of it right before an election. That is great. I am 
not running again, so those of you who are pleased that I guess the gun 
provision was taken out of the bill, you can answer to your 
constituents about why that happened.
  So I'm, once again, bothered. It's unfortunate. I am leaving an 
institution that I love and respect, but, boy, am I bothered with the 
way it is being run.
  I ask Members to support this bill.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 
6132, the Veterans Benefits and Economic Welfare Improvement Act of 
2010. I want to thank the author, the gentleman from California and 
Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs (VA), Mr. Bob 
Filner, and also members of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, 
for their support of our men and women who have served our country in 
the military.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill incorporates language from H.R. 5549, the 
Rating and Processing Individuals' Disability Claims (RAPID) Act, which 
I have cosponsored. I thank Chairman Filner for including this language 
in H.R. 6132 and I thank the gentleman from Indiana, Mr. Joe Donnelly, 
for his leadership on the RAPID provision, which adds more 
accountability and transparency to the process by which the Secretary 
of Veterans' Affairs (VA) reviews veterans' disability claims.
  In addition to the language on disability claims, H.R. 6132 also 
directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Assistant Secretary 
of Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training to carry out a joint 
training program to assist veterans in acquiring critical skills that 
are needed in the job market. At a time when opportunities are limited, 
the program provided for under this bill will help our veterans compete 
in the job market.
  Veterans across the nation are facing many challenges as they 
assimilate back into a civilian lifestyle. Our most recent veterans 
from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom have 
experienced greater frequency of deployment, increased mental health 
problem, and strains on their families that continue long after they 
return from war. Given these immense challenges, it is only fitting 
that Congress works towards helping these brave men and women who 
risked their lives for our freedom.
  I urge my colleagues to support and pass the Veterans Benefits and 
Economic Welfare Improvement Act.
  Mr. DONNELLY of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in 
support of H.R. 6132, The Veterans Benefits and Economic Welfare 
Improvement Act. This bill combines several measures into one solid 
piece of legislation that will serve our veterans by helping them 
transition into the job market and improving the disability claims and 
appeals process, among other things.
  Included in this legislation is a bill I introduced to help improve 
the disability claims process, H.R. 5549, The RAPID Claims Act. The 
RAPID Claims Act codifies the already successful Fully Developed Claim 
pilot program that Congress created in 2008, with a few improvements.
  Since veterans who participate in the Fully Developed Claim program 
are gathering their evidence without VA assistance, they should be able 
to notify VA to mark their date of disability compensation as soon as 
they begin to put their case together. The RAPID Claims Act ensures 
this date is protected.
  Additionally, if VA decides that a claim submitted by a veteran for 
the Fully Developed Claim program is actually ineligible for that 
program, VA should immediately notify the veteran of what is needed to 
substantiate the claim to allow it to proceed efficiently through the 
normal disability claim process. If VA adjudicates an incomplete claim 
without notifying the veteran, the result would be more inaccurately 
processed claims and a longer appeals backlog. The RAPID Claims Act 
requires VA to assist such veterans in putting together a regular 
disability claim to prevent unsatisfactory decisions and unnecessary 
appeals.
  Finally, The RAPID Claims Act ensures that veterans receive an 
appeals form at the same time as the decision on their disability 
claim. This will help veterans more quickly prepare and file an appeal 
if necessary.
  I am proud to have worked with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of 
America and the Disabled American Veterans in crafting this 
legislation, as well as 60 bipartisan colleagues who support it.
  Ms. HERSETH SANDLIN. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support 
H.R. 6132, the Veterans Benefits and Economic Welfare Improvement Act 
of 2010, which the Veterans Affairs Committee approved with bipartisan 
support on September 15th.
  I would like to thank Veterans Affairs Chairman Filner for his 
leadership in introducing H.R. 6132, as well as the support and 
leadership of Ranking Member Buyer.
  I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this legislation, which 
contains a number of important provisions that will directly improve 
the lives of veterans and the services available to those veterans and 
their families. Included among these provisions are four bills that I 
originally introduced. All four of these bills--H.R. 1088, H.R. 1089, 
H.R. 2461, and H.R. 1037--have previously passed the House, and I am 
pleased they have been included in this legislation.
  H.R. 1089, the Veterans Employment Rights Realignment Act, originally 
passed the House without opposition by a vote of 423 to 0 on May 19, 
2009. The provisions before us today create a three-year demonstration 
project to move the enforcement of the Uniformed Services Employment 
and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) protections of veterans and 
members of the Armed Services employed by Federal executive agencies to 
the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC).
  Under a previous demonstration project established by Public Law 108-
454, OSC investigated some federal sector USERRA claims from 2004 to 
2007. This demonstration project showed that the OSC had the expertise 
and ability to quickly obtain corrective action for federally employed 
veterans, and that success warranted a further continuation of this 
study.
  H.R. 1088, the Mandatory Veteran Specialist Training Act, originally 
passed the House by voice vote on May 19, 2009. The provisions before 
us today take an important step toward providing better employment 
assistance to those who have bravely served their country.
  These provisions reduce from 3 years to 18 months the period during 
which Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program (DVOP) specialists or Local 
Veterans' Employment Representatives (LVER) with the Department of 
Labor (DOL) must complete the specialized veterans employment training 
program provided by the National Veterans' Training Institute (NVTI).
  Through several Economic Opportunity Subcommittee hearings I chaired 
during the 110th Congress, I learned it was taking, on average, 2.5 
years before DOL veterans employment specialists were completing the 
NVTI program. This leaves untrained specialists who don't have the 
necessary skills trying to help veterans with their employment needs, 
and this bill helps correct that situation.
  H.R. 2461, the Veterans Small Business Verification Act, passed the 
House as part of

[[Page H7017]]

H.R. 3949 with overwhelming bipartisan support on November 3, 2009. The 
provisions before us today clarify the responsibility of the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs to verify the veteran status of owners of small 
businesses listed in the VetBiz Vendor Information Pages database. 
Furthermore, it requires that the VA notify small businesses already 
listed in the database of the need to verify their status.
  The Economic Opportunity Subcommittee learned through hearings, and 
meetings with VA staff and the veterans community that the database 
contained firms that didn't qualify because the verification process 
was voluntary. Since firms registered in the database can qualify to 
receive set-aside or sole-source awards, this new legislation will help 
ensure our veterans are afforded the small business opportunities they 
are due.
  H.R. 1037, the Pilot College Work Study Programs for Veterans Act of 
2009, originally passed the House on July 14, 2009 without opposition 
by a vote of 422 to 0. The provisions before us today improve the 
educational benefits available to our country's veterans by expanding 
the scope of work-study activities available to veterans receiving 
educational benefits through the VA.
  Currently, eligible student veterans enrolled in college degree 
programs, vocational programs or professional programs are eligible to 
participate in the work-study allowance program. However, they are 
limited to positions involving VA related work, such as processing VA 
paperwork, performing outreach services, and assisting staff at medical 
facilities or the offices of the National Cemetery Administration.
  This legislation both reauthorizes the work-study program for 3 
additional years and expands the list of qualifying work-study 
activities to include positions with State veterans agencies, Centers 
for Excellence for Veterans Student Success and other veterans-related 
positions at institutions of higher learning.
  Given the wide variety of tasks our men and women in uniform perform 
while serving their country, our Nation should be capitalizing on the 
unique training and skill sets that veterans who are pursuing their 
degrees bring to their educational institutions.
  In conclusion, H.R. 6132 takes a number of important steps toward 
helping veterans who have bravely served their country. I urge my 
colleagues to support H.R. 6132.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of 
H.R. 6132, the Veterans Benefits and Economic Welfare Improvement Act 
of 2010. This important legislation extends much-needed improvements to 
benefits and services for our Nation's veterans, who deserve the best 
we can offer. This legislation makes a number of critical corrections 
and updates to streamline services, expedite benefits, and ensure that 
veterans can take advantage of educational and vocational training 
opportunities to develop skills relevant to today's job market.
  I am extremely pleased that the underlying legislation includes my 
bill, H.R. 4541, the Veterans Pensions Protection Act of 2010. This 
legislation protects veterans from losing their pension benefits 
because they received payments to cover expenses incurred after an 
accident, theft, loss or casualty loss.
  Under current law, if a veteran is seriously injured in an accident 
or is the victim of a theft and receives insurance compensation, he or 
she may lose their pension if the money exceeds the income limit set by 
the VA. This means that the law effectively punishes veterans when they 
suffer from such an accident or theft.
  Such a tragedy happened to one of my constituents, a Navy veteran 
with muscular dystrophy who was hit by a truck when crossing the street 
in his wheelchair. His pension was abruptly cut off after he received 
an insurance settlement payment to cover medical expenses for himself 
and his service dog, and material expenses to replace his wheelchair. 
As a result, he could not cover his daily expenses and mortgage 
payments and almost lost his home. This is unacceptable.
  The Veterans Pensions Protection Act exempts the reimbursement of 
expenses related to accidents, theft, loss or casualty loss from being 
included into the determination of a veteran's income.
  I want to thank Chairman Bob Filner as well as Subcommittee Chairman 
John Hall and Ranking Member Doug Lamborn for their support on this 
issue.
  Mr. Speaker, at a time when our Nation's service men and women are 
fighting two wars abroad and engaged in action in other parts of the 
world, we have a duty to our past, present, and future veterans to 
provide the very best in health care, job training, housing assistance, 
educational opportunities, and other services and benefits. We owe our 
veterans an enormous debt, and cannot thank them enough for their 
service. I urge my colleagues to give their unanimous support to this 
legislation.
  Mr. BUYER. I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Filner) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 6132, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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