[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 132 (Wednesday, July 28, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S5144]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. CORTEZ MASTO (for herself and Mr. Boozman):
  S. 2513. A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the 
application and review process of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
for clothing allowance claims submitted by veterans, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, I rise today to tell you about Brian 
Neuman, an Iraq combat veteran who was wounded while serving our Nation 
overseas in 2004.
  Brian has spent years working with the Wounded Warrior Project to 
help other veterans get the benefits that they need.
  Years after returning home, Brian applied for an annual clothing 
allowance of $841. This allowance should be available to veterans like 
Brian when a medication or a medical device causes irregular wear or 
damage to their clothing.
  As many vets with service injuries will tell you, their clothes wear 
down much faster than other people's, and the prosthetics can rip or 
tear clothes as well. Some veterans need tailoring to make clothing fit 
more comfortably around their injuries. Others have to treat skin 
conditions with creams that damage their clothes.
  These veterans get compensation for the expenses associated with 
their injuries--and rightly so. Our veterans have given this country so 
much, and Congress has a responsibility to hold up its end of the 
bargain, to care for them when they are injured during their service to 
our Nation.
  But right now, this benefit isn't accessible for many veterans, and 
that is wrong, and we need to change it.
  In the case of the clothing allowance benefits, as Brian discovered, 
the VA currently requires veterans to be evaluated for this benefit in 
person, every year. One year, Brian physically went to a VA clinic to 
submit the clothing allowance application, and his request was denied 
because the VA had no record that he received a prosthetic at that 
specific clinic. At that point, like many vets, Brian gave up on the 
process in frustration.
  That is just unacceptable. These are brave men and women who are 
living with severe burns or who wear prosthetic devices as a result of 
their service. In many cases, the VA already knows these veterans have 
a medical condition that isn't going to change year from year.
  And that didn't make any sense to Brian, so he did something about 
it. He reached out to see if Congress could solve the problem. He did. 
He did it, he says, less for himself, but more for the many veterans in 
rural States, like mine in Nevada, who live hours away from the nearest 
VA Brian knows that many of them are so worn out by the process of 
applying for what is owed them that they just give up.

  These men and women are tired of jumping through hoops to access 
their earned benefits. So why are we forcing them to navigate this 
complicated bureaucracy? There are certainly places to cut costs, but 
this isn't one of them.
  The Senate can fix this problem easily, and I have introduced a 
bipartisan bill to do just that. I am glad to be working across the 
aisle with my colleague Senator Boozman to support injured and disabled 
veterans. Our bill makes it easier for them to get clothing that works 
for their specific needs. My legislation requires the VA to 
automatically renew this clothing allowance. Veterans can get it until 
they say they don't need it anymore or until the VA's records indicate 
that they don't require it. This will make sure they aren't forced to 
drive long distances to access a VA benefit they are owed.
  I am looking forward to moving this legislation through Congress so 
we can make life a little easier for the 40,000 wounded warriors who 
currently receive this benefit and for the thousands more who qualify. 
There shouldn't be any redtape stopping veterans from getting their 
benefits, so let's pass this bill and fix this problem.
  I am going to continue to work in every way I can to make sure that 
veterans in Nevada and across the country get the Federal resources 
they need

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