[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 25]
[House]
[Pages 33700-33704]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1545
PROVIDING FOR CONCURRENCE BY HOUSE WITH AMENDMENTS IN SENATE AMENDMENT 
     TO H.R. 797, DR. JAMES ALLEN VETERAN VISION EQUITY ACT OF 2007

  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 855) providing for the concurrence by the House in 
the Senate amendment to H.R. 797, with amendments.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 855

       Resolved, That upon the adoption of this resolution the 
     bill (H.R. 797) entitled ``An Act to amend title 38, United 
     States Code, to improve compensation benefits for veterans in 
     certain cases of impairment of vision involving both eyes, to 
     provide for the use of the National Directory of New Hires 
     for income verification purposes, to extend the authority of 
     the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide an educational 
     assistance allowance for qualifying work study activities, 
     and to authorize the provision of bronze representations of 
     the letter `V' for the graves of eligible individuals buried 
     in private cemeteries in lieu of Government-provided 
     headstones or markers.'', with the Senate amendment thereto, 
     shall be considered to have been taken from the Speaker's 
     table to the end that the Senate amendment thereto be, and 
     the same is hereby, agreed to with the following amendments:
       Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
     following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

       (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Dr. James 
     Allen Veteran Vision Equity Act of 2007''.
       (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act 
     is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.

                  TITLE I--LOW-VISION BENEFITS MATTERS

Sec. 101. Modification of rate of visual impairment for payment of 
              disability compensation.
Sec. 102. Improvement in compensation for veterans in certain cases of 
              impairment of vision involving both eyes.

       TITLE II--MATTERS RELATING TO BURIAL AND MEMORIAL AFFAIRS

Sec. 201. Provision of medallion or other device for privately-
              purchased grave markers.
Sec. 202. Improvement in provision of assistance to States relating to 
              the interment of veterans in cemeteries other than 
              national cemeteries.
Sec. 203. Modification of authorities on provision of Government 
              headstones and markers for burials of veterans at private 
              cemeteries.

                        TITLE III--OTHER MATTERS

Sec. 301. Use of national directory of new hires for income 
              verification purposes for certain veterans benefits.
Sec. 302. Extension of authority of Secretary of Veterans Affairs to 
              provide an educational assistance allowance to persons 
              performing qualifying work-study activities.

                  TITLE I--LOW-VISION BENEFITS MATTERS

     SEC. 101. MODIFICATION OF RATE OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT FOR 
                   PAYMENT OF DISABILITY COMPENSATION.

       Section 1114(o) of title 38, United States Code, is amended 
     by striking ``5/200'' and inserting ``20/200''.

     SEC. 102. IMPROVEMENT IN COMPENSATION FOR VETERANS IN CERTAIN 
                   CASES OF IMPAIRMENT OF VISION INVOLVING BOTH 
                   EYES.

       Section 1160(a)(1) of title 38, United States Code, is 
     amended--
       (1) by striking ``blindness'' both places it appears and 
     inserting ``impairment of vision'';
       (2) by striking ``misconduct;'' and inserting ``misconduct 
     and--''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs:
       ``(A) the impairment of vision in each eye is rated at a 
     visual acuity of 20/200 or less; or
       ``(B) the peripheral field of vision for each eye is 20 
     degrees or less;''.

       TITLE II--MATTERS RELATING TO BURIAL AND MEMORIAL AFFAIRS

     SEC. 201. PROVISION OF MEDALLION OR OTHER DEVICE FOR 
                   PRIVATELY-PURCHASED GRAVE MARKERS.

       Section 2306(d) of title 38, United States Code, is amended 
     by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
       ``(5) In lieu of furnishing a headstone or marker under 
     this subsection, the Secretary may furnish, upon request, a 
     medallion or other device of a design determined by the 
     Secretary to signify the deceased's status as a veteran, to 
     be attached to a headstone or marker furnished at private 
     expense.''.

     SEC. 202. IMPROVEMENT IN PROVISION OF ASSISTANCE TO STATES 
                   RELATING TO THE INTERMENT OF VETERANS IN 
                   CEMETERIES OTHER THAN NATIONAL CEMETERIES.

       (a) Repeal of Time Limitation for State Filing for 
     Reimbursement for Interment Costs.--
       (1) In general.--The second sentence of section 
     3.1604(d)(2) of title 38, Code of Federal Regulations, shall 
     have no further force or effect as it pertains to unclaimed 
     remains of a deceased veteran.
       (2) Retroactive application.--Paragraph (1) shall take 
     effect as of October 1, 2006 and apply with respect to 
     interments and inurnments occurring on or after that date.
       (b) Grants for Operation and Maintenance of State Veterans' 
     Cemeteries.--
       (1) In general.--Subsection (a) of section 2408 of title 
     38, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
       ``(a)(1) Subject to subsection (b), the Secretary may make 
     a grant to any State for the following purposes:

[[Page 33701]]

       ``(A) Establishing, expanding, or improving a veterans' 
     cemetery owned by the State.
       ``(B) Operating and maintaining such a cemetery.
       ``(2) A grant under paragraph (1) may be made only upon 
     submission of an application to the Secretary in such form 
     and manner, and containing such information, as the Secretary 
     may require.''.
       (2) Limitation on amounts awarded.--Subsection (e) of such 
     section is amended--
       (A) by inserting ``(1)'' before ``Amounts''; and
       (B) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
       ``(2) In any fiscal year, the aggregate amount of grants 
     awarded under this section for the purposes specified in 
     subsection (a)(1)(B) may not exceed $5,000,000.''.
       (3) Conforming amendments.--Such section is further 
     amended--
       (A) in subsection (b)--
       (i) by striking ``Grants under this section'' and inserting 
     ``A grant under this section for a purpose described in 
     subsection (a)(1)(A)''; and
       (ii) by striking ``a grant under this section'' each place 
     it appears and inserting ``such a grant'';
       (B) in subsection (d), by striking ``to assist such State 
     in establishing, expanding, or improving a veterans' 
     cemetery''; and
       (C) in subsection (f)(1), by inserting ``, or in operating 
     and maintaining such cemeteries,'' after ``veterans' 
     cemeteries''.
       (4) Regulations.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     shall prescribe regulations to carry out the amendments made 
     by this subsection.

     SEC. 203. MODIFICATION OF AUTHORITIES ON PROVISION OF 
                   GOVERNMENT HEADSTONES AND MARKERS FOR BURIALS 
                   OF VETERANS AT PRIVATE CEMETERIES.

       (a) Repeal of Expiration of Authority.--Subsection (d) of 
     section 2306 of title 38, United States Code, as amended by 
     section 201, is further amended--
       (1) by striking paragraph (3); and
       (2) by redesignating paragraphs (4) and (5), as added by 
     that section, as paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively.
       (b) Retroactive Effective Date.--Notwithstanding subsection 
     (d) of section 502 of the Veterans Education and Benefits 
     Expansion Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-103; 115 Stat. 995; 38 
     U.S.C. 2306 note) or any other provision of law, the 
     amendments made by that section and by subsections (a), (b), 
     (c), (d), and (f) of section 402 of the Veterans Benefits, 
     Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006 (Public 
     Law 109-461; 120 Stat. 3429) shall take effect as of November 
     1, 1990, and shall apply with respect to headstones and 
     markers for the graves of individuals dying on or after that 
     date.

                        TITLE III--OTHER MATTERS

     SEC. 301. USE OF NATIONAL DIRECTORY OF NEW HIRES FOR INCOME 
                   VERIFICATION PURPOSES FOR CERTAIN VETERANS 
                   BENEFITS.

       (a) Authority for Information Comparisons and Disclosures 
     of Information to Assist in Administration of Certain 
     Veterans Benefits.--Section 453(j) of the Social Security Act 
     (42 U.S.C. 653(j)) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following new paragraph:
       ``(11) Information comparisons and disclosures to assist in 
     administration of certain veterans benefits.--
       ``(A) Furnishing of information by secretary of veterans 
     affairs.--Subject to the provisions of this paragraph, the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall furnish to the Secretary, 
     on such periodic basis as determined by the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs in consultation with the Secretary, 
     information in the custody of the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs for comparison with information in the National 
     Directory of New Hires, in order to obtain information in 
     such Directory with respect to individuals who are applying 
     for or receiving--
       ``(i) needs-based pension benefits provided under chapter 
     15 of title 38, United States Code, or under any other law 
     administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
       ``(ii) parents' dependency and indemnity compensation 
     provided under section 1315 of title 38, United States Code;
       ``(iii) health care services furnished under subsections 
     (a)(2)(G), (a)(3), or (b) of section 1710 of title 38, United 
     States Code; or
       ``(iv) compensation paid under chapter 11 of title 38, 
     United States Code, at the 100 percent rate based solely on 
     unemployability and without regard to the fact that the 
     disability or disabilities are not rated as 100 percent 
     disabling under the rating schedule.
       ``(B) Requirement to seek minimum information.--The 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall seek information pursuant 
     to this paragraph only to the extent necessary to verify the 
     employment and income of individuals described in 
     subparagraph (A).
       ``(C) Duties of the secretary.--
       ``(i) Information disclosure.--The Secretary, in 
     cooperation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall 
     compare information in the National Directory of New Hires 
     with information provided by the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs with respect to individuals described in subparagraph 
     (A), and shall disclose information in such Directory 
     regarding such individuals to the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs, in accordance with this paragraph, for the purposes 
     specified in this paragraph.
       ``(ii) Condition on disclosure.--The Secretary shall make 
     disclosures in accordance with clause (i) only to the extent 
     that the Secretary determines that such disclosures do not 
     interfere with the effective operation of the program under 
     this part.
       ``(D) Use of information by secretary of veterans 
     affairs.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may use 
     information resulting from a data match pursuant to this 
     paragraph only--
       ``(i) for the purposes specified in subparagraph (B); and
       ``(ii) after removal of personal identifiers, to conduct 
     analyses of the employment and income reporting of 
     individuals described in subparagraph (A).
       ``(E) Reimbursement of hhs costs.--The Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs shall reimburse the Secretary, in accordance 
     with subsection (k)(3), for the costs incurred by the 
     Secretary in furnishing the information requested under this 
     paragraph.
       ``(F) Consent.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall not 
     seek, use, or disclose information under this paragraph 
     relating to an individual without the prior written consent 
     of such individual (or of a person legally authorized to 
     consent on behalf of such individual).
       ``(G) Expiration of authority.--The authority under this 
     paragraph shall expire on September 30, 2011.''.
       (b) Amendments to Veterans Affairs Authority.--
       (1) In general.--Chapter 53 of title 38, United States 
     Code, is amended by inserting after section 5317 the 
     following new section:

     ``Sec. 5317A. Use of income information from other agencies: 
       independent verification required before termination or 
       reduction of certain benefits and services

       ``(a) Independent Verification Required.--The Secretary may 
     terminate, deny, suspend, or reduce any benefit or service 
     specified in section 5317(c), with respect to an individual 
     under age 65 who is an applicant for or recipient of such a 
     benefit or service, by reason of information obtained from 
     the Secretary of Health and Human Services under section 
     453(j)(11) of the Social Security Act, only if the Secretary 
     takes appropriate steps to verify independently information 
     relating to the individual's employment and income from 
     employment.
       ``(b) Opportunity to Contest Findings.--The Secretary shall 
     inform each individual for whom the Secretary terminates, 
     denies, suspends, or reduces any benefit or service under 
     subsection (a) of the findings made by the Secretary under 
     such subsection on the basis of verified information and 
     shall provide to the individual an opportunity to contest 
     such findings in the same manner as applies to other 
     information and findings relating to eligibility for the 
     benefit or service involved.
       ``(c) Source of Funds for Reimbursement to Secretary of 
     Health and Human Services.--The Secretary shall pay the 
     expense of reimbursing the Secretary of Health and Human 
     Services in accordance with section 453(j)(11)(E) of the 
     Social Security Act, for the cost incurred by the Secretary 
     of Health and Human Services in furnishing information 
     requested by the Secretary under section 453(j)(11) of such 
     Act, from amounts available to the Department for the payment 
     of compensation and pensions.
       ``(d) Expiration of Authority.--The authority under this 
     section shall expire on September 30, 2011.''.
       (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the 
     beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the 
     item relating to section 5317 the following new item:

``5317A. Use of income information from other agencies: independent 
              verification required before termination or reduction of 
              certain benefits and services.''.

     SEC. 302. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY OF VETERANS 
                   AFFAIRS TO PROVIDE AN EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE 
                   ALLOWANCE TO PERSONS PERFORMING QUALIFYING 
                   WORK-STUDY ACTIVITIES.

       Section 3485(a)(4) of title 38, United States Code, is 
     amended by striking ``June 30, 2007'' each place it appears 
     and inserting ``June 30, 2010''.
       Amend the title so as to read: ``An Act to amend title 38, 
     United States Code, to improve low-vision benefits matters, 
     matters relating to burial and memorial affairs, and other 
     matters under the laws administered by the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Filner) and the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Dr. James Allen 
Veteran Vision Equity Act of 2007.
  I was glad to be able to work with my colleagues on the Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs, on both sides of the aisle

[[Page 33702]]

and in both Houses, to get here. I want to thank Mr. Rangel and his 
staff for their guidance on the provision that fell under the 
jurisdiction of the Ways and Means Committee.
  I especially want to thank our colleague from Madison, Wisconsin, 
Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, who led the effort for this, who got it to 
the floor today and who will explain it in whatever detail she thinks 
is important.
  I note that this bill was previously introduced in the last Congress; 
however, it never became law. I am glad this Congress has the 
opportunity to do more for our blind and vision impaired veterans.
  The Dr. James Allen Veteran Vision Equity Act of 2007, named after a 
noted physician and ocular pioneer who worked for over 35 years in the 
VA, would allow veterans who receive veterans' disability compensation 
for impairment of vision in one eye to be eligible to receive 
additional disability compensation for impairment of vision in the eye 
that is not service-connected, where the impairment in each eye is to a 
visual acuity of 20/200 or less or of a peripheral field of 20 degrees 
or less (the definition of ``legal blindness'' adopted by all 50 states 
and the Social Security Administration.)
  H.R. 797 also directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services to match and compare VA needs-
based pension benefits data, parents' dependency and indemnity 
compensation data, health-care services data, and unemployability 
compensation data with the National Directory of New Hires maintained 
by DHHS, for the purpose of determining eligibility for such benefits 
and services.
  It would also authorize $5 million for establishing, improving and 
expanding for the operation and maintenance of state-owned veterans' 
cemeteries. Additionally, the bill will repeal the time limitation for 
States to file for reimbursement costs for interring unclaimed 
veterans' remains, making it retroactive to October 1, 2006.
  Finally, this measure extends the authorization of the veterans work 
study program until 2010.
  This bill affects an estimated 5 percent of the 13,109 veterans who 
have service-connected blindness or loss of vision in one eye. As of 
September 17, 2007, 1,129 service members have sustained serious eye 
wounds in combat according to the Defense Armed Forces Institute of 
Surgical Pathology (any of which may later lead to blindness).
  Also, it is reported that many of the over 4,400 traumatic brain-
injured OIF/OEF servicemembers will likely suffer from serious vision-
related complications and at least 57 percent of all eye injuries of 
this war are caused by lED explosions.
  Walter Reed Army Medical Center alone has treated close to 540 
Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom service members for 
visual injuries and over 230 of our soldiers unfortunately have 
sustained legal blindness in one eye.
  It is worth noting, that in 2002, Congress passed and the President 
signed Public Law 107-330, which included a provision to correct a 
similar deficiency in the Paired Organ law for hearing loss. In 2006, 
the Committee on Veterans' Affairs held a legislative hearing and 
received favorable testimony on H.R. 2963, a bill similar to H.R. 797. 
In that hearing, the VA supported H.R. 2963.
  This is important and meaningful legislation for our men and women in 
uniform--who have fought and are fighting for our country.
  I urge my colleagues to support passage of this resolution and urge 
swift consideration of the Dr. James Allen Veteran Vision Equity Act of 
2007 by the Senate before the end of this session of Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield whatever time she may consume to the gentlewoman 
from Wisconsin (Ms. Baldwin).
  Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Filner.
  I rise in strong support of H. Res. 855, the Dr. James Allen Veteran 
Vision Equity Act that I introduced earlier this year. This bill fixes 
an inequity in the current paired organ statute that has resulted in a 
denial of appropriate disability compensation to blinded veterans.
  Congress has rightly recognized that some human organs or limbs are 
designed to work in pairs: legs, hands, kidneys, lungs, ears and, of 
course, eyes. In the instance of eyes, blindness in one eye profoundly 
affects depth perception even if sight is fully retained in the other 
eye. The paired organ statute was written to assist those veterans who 
experience a service-connected loss of a paired organ or limb. The 
statute recognizes the interdependency of paired organs and endeavors 
to treat the combined disability created by a nonservice-connected 
loss, injury or degeneration of the remaining paired organ or limb as 
though it was the result of a service-connected disability. In general, 
the paired organ statute accomplishes this task, with the exception of 
its treatment of eyes and loss of sight.
  I want to share with you the story of Dr. James Allen, after whom 
this legislation is named. Dr. Allen is a professor of ophthalmology at 
the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine in my district. He has 
worked at the Veterans Affairs Hospital for 33 years and treated 
numerous eye patients, including veterans who are blind.
  One example is Mr. Donald May. Don is a World War II veteran who lost 
his right eye in a hand grenade explosion. A few years ago, Mr. May 
became legally blind in the nonservice-connected left eye. He applied 
to the Department of Veterans Affairs for help and was denied further 
benefits. He was told that the current law in regard to paired organs 
did not apply to him, even though he was legally blind in his service-
connected right eye.
  After Dr. Allen brought the plight of his patients to my attention, I 
began to research why these veterans were being denied the benefits I 
felt they deserved, benefits that I believe Congress intended to grant 
them. Through my work with the Blinded Veterans Association, we 
discovered that while the current paired organ statute covers 
blindness, in practice few, if any, veterans have ever been able to 
qualify for such compensation.
  In theory, the statute provides that a veteran who is service-
connected for blindness in one eye could qualify for additional 
disability compensation if they become blind in the remaining eye for 
nonservice-connected reasons. However, the statute does not define the 
term ``blindness,'' nor is any provision made for impairment of vision 
in the nonservice-connected eye short of blindness.
  Rather than using visual acuity of 20/200 or loss of field of vision 
to 20 degrees as the definition of legal blindness that has been 
adopted by all 50 States and the Social Security Administration, the 
Department of Veterans Affairs uses a much more restrictive definition, 
5/200, as a rating for legal blindness, which in rough layman's term is 
the equivalent of having an eye with light perception only. As a 
result, few, if any, blinded veterans are able to qualify for 
additional compensation under the paired organ statute.
  H. Res. 855, the Dr. James Allen Veterans Vision Equity Act, fixes 
this problem. It defines blindness as impairment of vision where the 
impairment is to a visual acuity of 20/200 or less or of a peripheral 
field loss of vision of 20 degrees or less. This change in the law 
would only affect a small percentage, estimated to be roughly 5 percent 
of the 13,000-plus veterans who are service-connected for loss of 
vision in one eye. Yet such a change would send a powerful message that 
our Nation's blinded veterans and the hardships that they have faced 
are not forgotten.
  Indeed, our Nation's blinded veterans face significant challenges in 
the labor market. The National Institute on Disability and 
Rehabilitation Research found that for individuals with visual 
impairments, to the extent that they are unable to read letters, the 
employment rate is only 30.8 percent, compared to 82.1 percent for 
those without disability.
  I want to mention that this resolution complies with the PAYGO rules. 
The costs associated with H. Res. 855 are fully offset. This bill 
directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services to match and compare VA needs-based pension benefits 
data, parents' dependency and indemnity compensation data, health care 
services data and unemployability compensation data with the National 
Directory of New Hires maintained by DHHS, for the purpose of 
determining eligibility for such benefits and services. According to 
the GAO, such data matching will help reduce fraud and abuse within the 
VA system as it determines eligibility

[[Page 33703]]

and benefits to those veterans thought to be unemployable but are 
indeed working.
  I would like to just thank Chairman Filner, Subcommittee Chairman 
John Hall, as well as Congressmen John Boozman and Vic Snyder for their 
unwavering support of this bill. I also want to thank the staff of the 
Veterans' Affairs Committee for their help in advancing this 
legislation.
  H. Res. 855 is a modest but important step in restoring fair 
treatment to those veterans blinded due to their service to our country 
and to further our commitment to them. Their sacrifices and their 
service to this Nation should be matched by our desire to improve the 
quality of life for them and their families.
  Earlier this year, the Blinded Veterans Association had found over 
200 soldiers returning from Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan 
and Operation Iraqi Freedom who are blinded in one eye due to their 
service-related injuries. They could be benefited in the future by this 
legislation.
  I strongly encourage all my colleagues to support H. Res. 855.
  Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 855, 
which would amend H.R. 797, the Dr. James Allen Veterans Vision Equity 
Act, as amended by the other body. I would like to thank my colleagues, 
Chairman Filner, Ranking Member Buyer, Mr. Boozman of Arkansas and Ms. 
Baldwin of Wisconsin, for their efforts on this bill. On March 21 of 
this year, this body passed H.R. 797 with a unanimous vote of 424-0, 
and I am pleased to support it.
  The first title of this resolution would allow veterans who receive 
veterans disability compensation for impairment of vision in one eye to 
be eligible to receive additional disability compensation for 
impairment of vision in the eye that is not service connected. This 
eligibility includes situations where the impairment in each eye is to 
a visual acuity of 20/200 or less, or of a peripheral field loss of 20 
degrees or less. This is the same definition of legal blindness adopted 
by all 50 States and the Social Security Administration.
  Title II of H.R. 797 incorporates several sections of H.R. 2696, the 
Veterans Dignified Burial Assistance Act of 2007, which I introduced in 
June to improve VA burial benefits and State veterans cemeteries.
  From time to time, Mr. Speaker, a State locates the remains of 
veterans who were not interred at the time of their death for various 
reasons. When States inter these veterans, they cannot be reimbursed by 
VA because of the time limit on reimbursement costs. This legislation 
would repeal this limitation and helps ensure that all veterans will 
receive a proper interment with the honor and respect that they have 
earned.
  Title II would also authorize the Secretary of the VA to make 
additional grants to States for improving and expanding State veteran 
cemeteries. States would be required to submit an application to the 
Secretary for this funding, of which the aggregate amount authorized 
for all State grants is $5 million.
  The final provision of title II would provide families with the 
option of placing a medallion on a deceased veteran's grave denoting 
veteran status, in lieu of a VA headstone for graves already marked by 
a private marker.
  Mr. Speaker, many private cemeteries do not allow a second marker on 
a grave site because it complicates routine maintenance. Therefore, a 
medallion would identify a veteran's grave in a manner that would be 
universally acceptable and would meet the family's desire to honor the 
deceased veteran and will be one more reminder to everybody of the 
sacrifices made by veterans. This provision is very similar to an 
amendment that I offered at the full committee markup of H.R. 797, and 
I'm very pleased to support it again now.
  While not the specific intent of the provision, veterans' families 
may benefit financially from this measure. Currently, VA offers second 
markers for veterans' graves that already have a privately procured 
marker. While there is no cost for the markers, mounting of these 
second markers is at the family's expense, usually several times the 
cost of the stone itself. Since the new medallion could be applied 
directly to the current marker with an industrial-grade adhesive, 
families will be able to apply the medallion on their own, allowing 
them to avoid significant mounting costs.
  Mr. Speaker, title III of the resolution extends the use of the New 
Hires Act and would save the government money by allowing the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs to consult with the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services regarding unemployment compensation data in order to determine 
eligibility for VA needs-based pension benefits.
  The Congressional Budget Office informally estimates that this 
section of the resolution would save the taxpayers $30 million over 10 
years. I would note that this savings funds the vision, burial and work 
study provisions in this bill.
  Also included in title III is a provision that extends work study 
jobs at VA through June 2009. Current law allows work study recipients 
to perform a variety of duties throughout the VA, as well as veteran-
related paperwork at their schools.
  Congress extended the provision for 6 months in PL 109-461 to prevent 
canceling benefits in the middle of the school year. I'm pleased that 
we're able to extend this provision even further in this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 855, which would 
amend H.R. 797, as amended.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FILNER. I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.
  Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my 
colleague, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman).
  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 797 is a very, very good bill, and I 
appreciate Ms. Baldwin working so hard. I think we could actually use 
the adjective tirelessly on this one, in order to bring it forward.
  It really has two provisions that I'm especially pleased to support. 
First, I'm pleased that this bill will help veterans with visual 
disabilities. To put this in perspective, VA compensates about 13,000 
veterans for blindness in one eye.

                              {time}  1600

  DOD statistics show that about 1,169 servicemembers have experienced 
eye injuries in Iraq, and VA states about 111 of those are now 
receiving compensation. And let us not forget that with the number of 
traumatic brain injury casualties, and those that have gone 
undiagnosed, many of them will experience visual impairment as a result 
of those injuries. Thanks to Ms. Baldwin's work in bringing this 
forward, the change in this law will make sure that all of these 
individuals will be treated fairly.
  I am also greatly pleased that we have been able to fund 
reinstatement of the GI Bill work-study provisions that expired last 
June. These additional work-study jobs will benefit both the veteran 
student and veterans at large by increasing the resources available to 
assist VA employees in accomplishing their mission.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a very good bill and I urge my colleagues to 
support it. I also want to thank Mr. Filner and his staff for, again, 
bringing this forward, along with Mr. Buyer, the ranking member; and 
the staff over here. Again, this is a very good bill, and I urge 
support of its passage with my colleagues.
  Mr. LAMBORN. I want to thank the gentleman from Arkansas for his 
remarks.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, at this time I will include in the Record an 
article published in the Ophthalmic News on protective eye gear, and I 
urge my colleagues to unanimously support this resolution.

[[Page 33704]]



                [From Ophthalmology Times, May 1, 2007]

Protective Eye Gear Essential for Modern Soldier: Ocular Injuries Have 
  Climbed to Number 4 Slot Behind Amputation, Traumatic Brain Injury, 
                                  PTSD

                          (By Lynda Charters)

       Baltimore.--Ocular injuries during war have steadily 
     increased from as far back as the Civil War because of the 
     vulnerability of the face and eyes on the battlefield and the 
     increasing use of fragmentary weapons. Thomas P. Ward, MD, 
     described how ocular injuries have changed and how to prevent 
     them here at the Current Concepts in Ophthalmology meeting in 
     Baltimore.
       The meeting was sponsored by Johns Hopkins University 
     School of Medicine, Baltimore, and Ophthalmology Times.
       ``What we learned about eye injuries was not just learned 
     from the current war in Iraq but from several previous 
     wars,'' said Dr. Ward, a private practitioner in West 
     Hartford, CT, and former ophthalmology consultant to the U.S. 
     Army's surgeon general. The percentage of ocular wounds 
     received on the battlefield has increased steadily over the 
     past century, from less than 1% during the Civil War to about 
     13% in the early phase of the war in Iraq, he added.
       ``That 13% is much higher than would be expected if we were 
     considering only the random chance of a projectile hitting 
     the eye,'' Dr. Ward said. ``The eye has a very small profile, 
     i.e., only 4% of the face and 0.27% of the body surface 
     area.''
       He recounted that, through June 2006 at the Echelon III-
     level combat support hospital in Iraq and Afghanistan, 1,086 
     ocular injuries occurred. Of these, 207 were primary eye 
     injuries. In the remaining 879 eye injuries, another organ 
     was the primary injury (usually the brain or a limb). The eye 
     injuries represented 13% of all patients who sustained 
     injuries. Many more ocular injuries occurred in the local 
     populace, he said.
       The eyes are so vulnerable, he explained, because they are 
     preferentially exposed during combat, whereas the rest of the 
     body, except for the limbs, is protected with armor.
       In addition, the types of munitions used have changed over 
     the past century. During the Civil War, if a soldier was hit 
     by a cannonball or minnie ball, he likely would die, and 
     ocular injuries were not an issue. Modern weapons, however, 
     generate numerous fragments when they explode. ``Modern hand 
     grenades, for example, fragment into about 2,000 individual 
     projectiles, and the eye is exceptionally vulnerable to small 
     fragments,'' Dr. Ward said.
       Other lessons:
       penetrating injuries are the most important type, 
     accounting for up to 50% of all ocular injuries, and
       there is no delayed primary closure in ophthalmology; the 
     primary repair almost always is the definitive repair.
       Finally, because of the nature of modern weaponry, ocular 
     injuries often are bilateral. More than half of all eye 
     injuries (57%) are caused by improvised explosive devices 
     (IEDs). The remaining injuries were caused by rocket-
     propelled grenades, gunshot wounds, mortar and shrapnel, land 
     mines, and other causes.
       Surprisingly, according to Dr. Ward, the incidence of 
     endophthalmitis was 0%, despite the fact that approximately 
     25% of ocular injuries are caused by intraocular foreign 
     bodies. Another factor that did not seem to affect the 
     incidence was that the foreign bodies were not removed for 
     weeks in many cases. Dr. Ward wondered whether the lack of 
     endophthalmitis may have been the result of the use of 
     topical and systemic third- or fourth-generation 
     fluoroquinolones.
       The IEDs being used are increasingly more powerful, and Dr. 
     Ward showed that the injuries sustained with more recent ones 
     cause more damage.
       Many more eye injuries do not result in evacuation to the 
     combat support hospital, he said. ``As of late 2005, 
     approximately 3,000 ocular injuries were reported as having 
     been treated and the soldiers returned to duty. There were a 
     total of 14,559 eye-related patient encounters by 
     optometrists in the theater of war. This [number] from the 
     Army is considered low as the result of inconsistent 
     reporting,'' Dr. Ward emphasized.
       Armor to protect the eyes has been used over the centuries, 
     and it has been shown to be effective in eliminating war-
     related problems. Sympathetic ophthalmia, Dr. Ward pointed 
     out, developed in about 0.3 percent of ocular injuries during 
     World War II. Only one documented case has been reported by 
     U.S. forces since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
       A statistic that emphasizes the importance of prevention is 
     that ocular injuries hold the number four slot for disability 
     behind amputation, traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic 
     stress disorder.

  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Altmire). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 855.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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