House Passes Two Bipartisan Bills from Rep. Mike Levin to Support Veterans
Washington, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives passed two bipartisan bills Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) introduced to support veterans. The Commitment to Veteran Support and Outreach (CVSO) Act authorizes federal funding to hire more county veterans service officers, who are often the best resource on the ground to assist veterans in securing the benefits they have earned. The Mark O’Brien VA Clothing Allowance Improvement Act helps veterans replace clothing that is routinely damaged by prosthetics, orthopedic devices, or skin medicines they need as a result of active-duty injuries.
“I’m proud to see Democrats and Republicans come together once again to improve the benefits veterans have earned,” said Rep. Levin. “The CVSO Act and the Mark O’Brien VA Clothing Allowance Improvement Act will cut red tape and simplify VA processes that have prevented too many veterans from receiving the services they deserve. While these types of bills rarely make national headlines, this is the work that truly makes a difference for our nation’s heroes. These bills put action behind the words ‘thank you for your service.’ As we approach the 118th Congress, I look forward to continuing to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to improve the lives of veterans and their families.”
Many veterans are not utilizing their earned benefits because of lack of information or ability to complete necessary paperwork. To reduce this underutilization and increase promotion of services, the CVSO Act strengthens county veterans service officers’ efforts to conduct outreach and provide support to underserved veterans, which can improve overall wellness. The bill would authorize competitive grants to expand the work of county veterans service officers (CVSOs) or comparable entities. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will award grants to states in order to improve outreach to veterans; enhance the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of veterans’ benefits claims, hire additional CVSOs; and train CVSOs for VA accreditation. To receive funds, a state must submit an application including a detailed plan for the use of these funds, how they will meet underserved veterans’ needs, and other information. A fact sheet is available here.
The CVSO Act is endorsed by the County of San Diego, San Diego Military Advisory Council, National Association of County Veterans Service Officers, National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs, National Association of Counties, Syracuse Institute for Military and Veteran Families, Military Veterans Advocacy, Fleet Reserve Association, and Veterans Education Project. Hearing testimony from VA, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), and Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) also expressed support for the bill.
The Mark O’Brien VA Clothing Allowance Improvement Act bill would amend an existing VA clothing allowance program by enabling payments to continue on an automatically recurring annual basis until the veteran elects to no longer receive payments or VA determines the veteran is no longer eligible. Currently, a veteran must provide a clothing allowance form to their local VA medical center annually, an unnecessarily burdensome process for those who have a lifelong condition that requires a device or medicine which damages their clothing. The bill is named after Marine Corporal Mark O’Brien, who was injured in combat in Iraq and lost his right arm and leg. He also suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), which often causes him to forget to reapply for the clothing allowance. A fact sheet is available here.
The Mark O’Brien VA Clothing Allowance Improvement Act is endorsed by the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA), Blinded Veterans Association (BVA), The Retired Enlisted Association (TREA), and the USCG Chief Petty Officers Association (CPOA). Hearing testimony from VA and Minority Veterans of America (MVA) also expressed support for the bill.
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