[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9174-9175]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1115
                  LET'S STAND WITH OUR NATION'S HEROES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Murphy) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MURPHY of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of our 
Nation's veterans, the men and women who have put their lives on the 
line in service to our country.
  I was honored to have the opportunity to spend Memorial Day with our 
troops stationed in Afghanistan. Sharing this most solemn holiday with 
members of our armed services, who go above and beyond every day, was 
truly a humbling experience.
  It was an experience that reinforced my belief that one of the best 
ways Americans can pay tribute to the brave men and women who risk 
their lives fighting for us is to recommit ourselves to our duty to 
care for them when they return home. That is why I will be introducing 
three bills to help our troops and veterans.
  Too often, we hear that our Nation's heroes, after fighting for our 
country, come home only to have to fight to get the care, support, and 
respect they so deserve. We must make sure that the brave men and women 
who have risked everything for our country are never forgotten or 
ignored, that we fight for them as they have fought for us.
  For one thing, this means fully settling benefit claims in an 
efficient and timely manner and making sure that those veterans receive 
the proper care and compensation.
  Currently, the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans' Claims, or CAVC, 
is the court that veterans must appeal to if they were unfairly denied 
benefits, but it does not allow veterans access to the same judicial 
tools available in other Federal courts.
  This court is terribly overburdened, with an appeal taking around a 
year on average, and that is on top of the nearly 4 years that a 
veteran has already waited by then. That is indefensible.
  On the heels of damning reports about the VA's failing our veterans 
with wait lists that have even led to deaths while veterans wait for 
service, we must find ways to reduce the backlog and speed up the 
process.
  That is why I have introduced a bill that would allow groups of 
veterans with similar claims to band together in their appeals. This 
would be highly efficient for both the VA and veterans by cutting 
costs, reducing decision times, and providing effective counsel, which 
many veterans lack under the current system.
  This act would allow veterans to have their appeals heard in a class 
action, as was successfully used by veterans impacted by Agent Orange 
prior to the creation of the CAVC. For veterans facing disability due 
to the exposure to burn pits in Afghanistan, this could be an 
invaluable tool.
  Another way to serve our Nation's heroes is by expanding educational 
opportunities. Veterans deserve the best training, so they don't have 
to fight for a job after fighting for our country.
  Today, I am proposing to improve the post-9/11 GI Bill by expanding 
eligible expenses to include applications to college, graduate school, 
and law school, as well as technical and vocational schools. 
Applications to schools can be as high as $300 to $500 in out-of-pocket 
expenses for veterans returning from overseas.
  Let's make it easier for our returning troops to pursue their 
educational and career goals by allowing our veterans to use the GI 
Bill to get reimbursed for expenses from applying to school.
  Our veterans have tremendous discipline, responsibility, and 
leadership ability to offer businesses. By having access to educational 
opportunities, veterans will have the means to keep their job skills up 
to date and to stay competitive in today's evolving job market.
  Finally, families are also impacted when their loved ones are 
deployed. Military spouses take on much of the burden and deserve great 
assistance. Currently, the Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts 
program provides up to a $4,000 educational benefit

[[Page 9175]]

while the spouse is overseas on active duty.
  While we agree that this is a worthwhile benefit, it doesn't even get 
the average person through a single semester. The average tour lasts 
about 10 months, long enough to complete a full year of school. An 
average year of tuition at a public university in the United States is 
almost $9,000.
  Let's bump up the benefit, so it actually covers the cost of tuition. 
The families of our servicemembers are the backbone of our military.
  The bills I have introduced are commonsense solutions to do just 
that. This is National Military Appreciation Month. Let's stand with 
our Nation's servicemembers and veterans. Let's express our gratitude 
for their service by recognizing the struggles they face and make sure 
we are there for them and recognize the sacrifices they have made.
  I urge my colleagues to support these bills, so that our veterans, 
troops, and military families get the care, benefits, and support they 
deserve.

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