VFW Supported Bills
VFW
Action Corp Weekly – 15 May 2020
Senate Passes National Suicide Hotline Bill: "…the Senate passed S. 2661, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020. This legislation would designate 988 as the telephone number for the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline. The existing hotline, which can be reached by dialing 1-800-273-8255, is operated by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and through the Veterans Crisis Line. Both hotlines offer confidential support from qualified responders 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Many of the responders with the Veterans Crisis Line are veterans themselves.”
VFW Action Corp Weekly – 22 May 2020
Legislation Introduced to Preserve
48-Hour Claims Review: "…Sen. Jon
Tester (D-MT) introduced VFW-supported S.
3761, theVeterans Claim Transparency
Act. This important legislation would reinstate VA’s former policy of
permitting VSOs to review claims decisions within the48-hours preceding
promulgation to ensure all claims were properly evaluated and are error-free
prior to a veteran receiving notification of a ratings decision. "The 48-hour
review period is an essential feature of the VA claims process,”said VFW
National Legislative Service Associate Director Matthew Doyle."It functions as
an independent quality review check on claims decisions before final ratings
are sent to veterans.”” Please contact our federal Senators and support this
bill.
Legislation Introduced to Expand Survivors’
Benefits: "…Rep. TJ Cox (D-CA) introduced VFW-supported H.R. 6933, the Caring for Survivors Act of 2020. This important legislation would
increase Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) payments to an amount
equal to 55 percent of the permanent and total disability monthly compensation
rate, and would make survivors eligible for DIC after a veteran has
consistently held a permanent and total disability rating for five years. This
idea was put forth in the Independent Budget Report, co-authored by the VFW,
Disabled American Veterans, and Paralyzed Veterans of America. The VFW thanks
Rep. Cox and all cosponsors for their efforts to expand survivors’ benefits.” Please contact your federal Representatives
and support this bill.
Please visit/sign up for the VFW Action
Corps Weekly: https://www.vfw.org/advocacy/grassroots-efforts/vfw-action-corps-weekly
2020 VFW Priority Goals: https://www.vfw.org/advocacy/national-legislative-service
U.S. Senators: www.senate.gov
U.S. Representatives: www.house.gov