washingtonscene
current $310 monthly rate, and (b) adop- tion of a House provision to equalize Survivor Benefit Plan annuity calcula- tions for survivors who die during inac- tive duty training with those used for active duty deaths.
Key Veterans’ W
Legislation MOAA supports multiple bills intended to help veterans.
hile the FY 2017 Military Construction and VA Ap- propriations Bill remained
stalled on Capitol Hill, Congress pressed forward on several other important vet- erans’ bills. In July, the Senate Committee on Veter- ans’ Affairs considered a number of health care and benefit measures aimed at enhanc- ing the delivery of care and services to the nation’s veterans and their families. In a statement before the committee,
Lt. Col. (select) Aniela Szymanski, USMCR, MOAA Government Relations, speaks prior to a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing in July.
30 MILITARY OFFICER SEPTEMBER 2016
MOAA urged members to support bills such as: S. 2210: Vet- eran Partners’ Ef- forts to Enhance Reintegration Act. This mea- sure would estab- lish a two-year pilot program to incorporate peer specialists for pa- tient-aligned care teams at 25 VA medical centers to promote inte- gration of mental health services in the primary care setting.
S. 2279: Veterans Health Care Staffing Improvement Act. This bill would increase efficiency in the recruitment and hiring of VA health care professionals by, among other things, creating uniform credentialing standards for certain health care profes- sionals working in the agency so employees can practice in any location in the VA health system as well as granting full practice authority to advanced practice nurses and physician assistants, bringing the VA in line with practices of DoD and other agencies. S. 3035: Maximizing Efficiency and Im- proving Access to Providers at the Depart- ment of Veterans Affairs Act of 2016. The measure would require DoD to carry out an 18-month pilot program using medical scribes to support physicians in at least five Veterans Health Administration fa- cilities. The intent is to let doctors focus on patient care rather than paperwork, reduce appointment wait times, improve patients’ access to electronic medical records, and ease physician shortages through increased productivity. S. 3032: Veterans’ Compensation Cost- of-Living Adjustment Act of 2016. This bill would provide the same COLA increases in VA disability compensation and survi- vor annuities as received by Social Secu- rity recipients. S. 3042: Justice for Servicemembers Act of 2016. This bill would close a loophole in procedural rights under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). Presently, servicemembers returning to their civilian jobs who find their em- ployer has violated USERRA might not be fully protected if they signed an em- ployment contract that requires disputes be mediated by an arbitrator rather than litigated in court. Arbitration prevents servicemembers
from appealing an unfavorable decision and places the employer in a much more ad-
PHOTO: COURTESY OFFICE OF SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL
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