On May 1, 2018, Representative Tulsi Gabbard (HI) introduced H.R. 5671, the Burn Pits Accountability Act.

Since the Persian Gulf War, a common waste disposal practice at military sites outside the United States was the use of burn pits. Smoke from these pits contained toxic substances that may have short- and long-term health effects, especially for those who were exposed for longer periods. Many service members reported acute symptoms of respiratory or eye irritation, gastrointestinal distress, or rashes during or shortly after exposure, but the research thus far has been inconclusive about whether there are longer lasting consequences to these exposures, as many veterans still struggling with conditions that arose during or after military service believe.

H.R. 5671 will require the Secretary of Defense to ensure that periodic health assessments ascertain whether a service member has been at a location when an open burn pit was used or exposed to toxic airborne chemicals. It will further require the Secretary of Defense to enter into an information sharing agreement with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. If a service member was exposed, the VA Secretary will enroll the member into the VA Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry, unless the member elects not to enroll.

In agreement with DAV Resolution No. 120, DAV supports H.R. 5671-legislation that would ensure that exposure to burn pits and airborne chemicals are recognized by both the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.

Your commitment and advocacy helps make DAV a highly influential and effective organization in Washington. Thank you for all you do for America’s veterans and their families.

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More special operators could receive a break on taxes next year. The Special Operations Forces Tax Cut Act would grant tax breaks to troops based on their mission, rather than location. The bill would benefit troops who deploy outside of combat zones not formally recognized in the IRS’ Combat Zone Tax Exclusion section. The Combat Zone Tax Exclusion allows service members who deploy to certain combat zones to exclude income from federal tax filings. Qualifying regions for the tax exclusion are Afghanistan, Kosovo and the Arabian Peninsula. “America’s military conducts global operations that don’t easily fit into one nation or geographic region,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Richard Hudson, whose North Carolina district includes Fort Bragg, home of U.S. Army Special Operations Command.

In January 2018, Representative Bruce Westerman (R-AR) introduced H.R. 4843, a bill that would concede herbicide exposure to all veterans who served at any military installation in Thailand during the Vietnam Era for purposes of determining their eligibility for VA benefits. This measure is a companion bill to S. 2105, introduced by Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Joe Donelly (D-IN). DAV issued an alert in support of S. 2105 in December 2017. While VA’s internal manual acknowledges herbicide exposure for specific military occupational specialties on the perimeter of eight specific Thai Royal Air Force Bases, Thai statutes and regulations do not automatically recognize veteran exposure to herbicides while serving in Thailand during the Vietnam Era. H.R. 4843 would automatically concede herbicide exposure for all veterans who served at military installations in Thailand during the Vietnam Era, regardless of the base, duty on the perimeter or military occupational specialty. As a result, the presumptive diseases currently associated with herbicide exposure, including spina bifida for children, would be applicable to all veterans who served at military installations in Thailand during the Vietnam Era. Consistent with DAV Resolution No. 214, DAV supports the recognition of herbicide exposure to veterans who served at military installations in Thailand so that the presumption of service connection for Agent Orange related diseases would be available to service members exposed to include those who served in Thailand .

Effective August 1, 2018, the entitlement available under the Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) program will be reduced from 45 months to 36 months, but in October, the monthly allowance for eligible recipients will increase. These changes, part of the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017, aka “Forever GI Bill” were passed by Congress last summer. The DEA program offers education and training opportunities to eligible dependents of Veterans who are permanently and totally disabled due to a service-related condition, or of Veterans who died while on active duty or from a service-related condition.
DEA benefits may be used for degree and certificate programs, apprenticeships and on-the-job training. Surviving spouses-can use benefits for correspondence courses and remedial, deficiency and some approved refresher courses. What you need to know now: • If you’re already taking classes, or will start taking classes by July DEA 31, 2018, you remain eligible for up to 45 months of education entitlement benefits • Beginning Oct.1, 2018, all students will see a significant increase in the monthly benefit • Eligible DEA recipients will be entitled effective Oct. 1, 2018 to a monthly allowance of: o $1,224 for full-time coursework, compared to $1,041 currently as of Oct. 1, 2017 o $967 for three-quarter time coursework, compared to $780 currently as of Oct. 1, 2017 o $710 for half-time coursework, compared to $519 currently as of Oct. 1, 2017

Starting next year, service members who have been in the military for more than 16 years will no longer be able to transfer GI Bill benefits to their dependents — a change to current Pentagon policy that’s garnered mixed reviews from military advocates.
The Defense Department announced on July 14, 2018 that it is instituting the 16-year cap, effective in one year, and making other changes “to more closely align the transferability benefit with its purpose as a recruiting and retention incentive,”
Currently, service members with at least six years under their belt may transfer their GI Bill benefits to a spouse or child, provided they agree to serve in the military for four more years. Effective immediately, service members who are not eligible to fulfill the additional service requirement — including because of mandatory retirement, high-year tenure or medical issues — may not transfer their benefits.
The six-year minimum requirement is not changing.

This bill was referred to the House Armed Service Committee last week. It is a bill that, if passed, would allow veterans with a 100% service connected total and permanent disability to travel on military aircraft in the same manner and to the same extent as retired members of the armed forces are allowed to travel.

If you are in favor of this bill you need to write your elected representatives and let them know your thoughts.

For any service member or veteran looking to pursue their educational goals through the use of the GI Bill, there is an important tool offered by VA. The GI Bill Comparison Tool allows users to compare different programs and institutions that accept the GI Bill. In the past few years, some student veterans have been impacted by the abrupt closures of the schools they were attending. These schools were using predatory business practices and had numerous complaints against them. The GI Bill Comparison Tool gives users the ability to check on the schools they wish to attend, and provides up-to-date data received from current and past students, helping GI Bill users make better, more informed decisions about where to attend school, and hopefully avoid programs that offer little to no value
For help choosing a school, refer to https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/choosing_a_school.asp.

Some military families would see some co-pays decrease under a Senate proposal to change the Tricare fee structure, but retirees under age 65 would see a major fee hike. Working-age retirees now pay no enrollment fees to join Tricare Select. The proposal would create a $450 annual enrollment fee for an individual and a $900 annual enrollment feefor a family, in addition to a new out-of-network deductible for this coverage group that could cost retirees even more. Retirees in Tricare Prime would see their enrollment fee increase to $350 per individual, from the current $289.08, or to $700 per family, from the current $578.16.

House lawmakers will take up the issue of burn pits in early JUN with a hearing focused on how much is known about troops health effects after toxic exposure to the waste fires overseas. A series of lawmakers and veterans groups have pushed to revive the issue in recent weeks amid concerns that the problem — well-known to troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan — has largely fallen out of the consciousness of the public and elected officials. More than 141,000 veterans and current servicemembers have enrolled in Veterans Affairs’ Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry, which allows individuals to document their experiences and illnesses with the department. But advocates say more attention needs to be put on the issue to ensure that veterans suffering from rare cancers and other illnesses don’t face a years-long wait for recognition of their injures. House Veterans’ Affairs Committee members will look into what other avenues might be available for that type of action.

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, applauded Senate passage of the Veterans Cemetery Benefit Correction Act, legislation he introduced along with U.S. Representative Austin Scott, R-Ga.-08, to require the U.S. Department of the Interior to provide grave liners for veterans buried in cemeteries under the control of the National Park Service. In Georgia, this would include Andersonville National Cemetery.
Current law requires the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide an outer burial receptacle, more commonly called a grave liner, to a veteran buried in a national cemetery under the control of the National Cemetery Administration, a branch of the VA. Additionally, the VA can provide a reimbursement if the family chooses to purchase one in lieu of a government-furnished grave liner.
National Park Service cemeteries are not currently covered by this statute, and neither the VA nor the National Park Service is able to provide this benefit for veterans buried in those cemeteries.