July 2, 2015

Congress is currently working on several important veterans' bills. Please take a moment to send your elected officials a MOAA-suggested message on the following pieces of legislation:

S.1085 : Military and Veteran Caregiver Services Improvement Act. This bill provides veterans of all eras eligibility for a full range of caregiver support services through the VA.

S. 469: Women Veterans and Families Health Services Act. This bill improves reproductive assistance provided by DoD and VA to severely wounded, ill, or injured members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their spouses or partners.

S. 901: Toxic Exposure Research Act. This bill establishes a national center for research on the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions for the descendants of veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during service in the Armed Forces.

Note: MOAA recommended substituting the term "Uniformed Services" for "Armed Forces" to ensure that research conducted at a designated VA Medical Center is applicable to commissioned officers of the Public Health Service and NOAA Corps.

S. 1641: Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act. This important bill keeps veterans safe by providing the VA with the necessary tools to provide effective pain management services.

H.R. 303: Concurrent receipt . This longstanding, top MOAA priority authorizes full concurrent receipt of military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation for retirees with regular or Guard/Reserve retirements, regardless of disability rating.

H.R. 1384: Honor America's Guard-Reserve Retirees Act. This bill would grant veteran status to members of the Reserve Components who served a career of 20 years or more and are military retirees, but who are not recognized by the government as "veterans" because of no service under active duty orders.

Note: H.R. 1384 was adopted as a provision in the House version of the FY 2016 defense bill and will be up for debate when House and Senate lawmakers meet later this month.

MOAA thanks the committees and the members who sponsored or co-sponsored the above bills.