| |
News
from Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin
For Immediate Release
Contact: Chip Weiskotten, 202-226-8553
Russ Levsen, 202-226-4449
HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES PASSES TWO HERSETH SANDLIN VETERANS BILLS
Legislation
to Assist Low-Income Veterans and Disabled Service Members in Civilian
Life
August 2,
2007, Washington, D.C. – This
week, the full U.S. House of Representatives passed two bills introduced
by Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin to assist low-income veterans and
disabled service members.
Rep. Herseth Sandlin,
who is chairwoman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic
Opportunity, said, “I am proud to help move these important provisions
toward passage. Our nation’s veterans have already given so much; it’s
only right that we reflect that contribution and sacrifice with fair
and full benefits and services once they return home.”
The Veterans’ Supportive
Services Assistance Act (H.R. 2378) was passed as part of an omnibus
veterans' health care bill. This legislation provides financial assistance
to nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives to help very low-income
veterans who occupy permanent housing. Supportive services that may
be offered as part of the bill include physical and mental health, case
management, daily living, personal financial planning, transportation,
vocational counseling, employment and training, education, assistance
in obtaining veterans’ benefits and public benefits, child care, and
housing counseling.
The U.S. Census
Bureau estimates that 1.5 million of our nation's veterans live in poverty,
including 702,000 veterans with disabilities and 404,000 veterans in
households with children. 634,000 of the 1.5 million poor veterans live
in extreme poverty. These poor veterans face residential insecurity
due to their low-income levels or their past episodes of homelessness.
They also face health and vocational challenges and access barriers
to supportive services, which limit their ability to sustain housing
and maintain independence from more costly public institutional care
and support.
In addition, the
House passed H.R. 1315, a bill introduced by Rep. Herseth Sandlin to
improve Specially Adaptive Housing assistance to disabled service members.
Under current law,
disabled service members who are still on active duty and have not reached
veteran status, and who are residing temporarily in housing owned by
a family member, are ineligible for grants to adapt that housing to
meet their disability needs. Rep. Herseth Sandlin’s bill closes this
loophole, and would allow assistance up to $14,000 to adapt the family
member’s home to meet the service member's special needs.
H.R. 1315 would
also:
- Direct the Secretary
of the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a scholarship program
for students seeking a degree or certificate in blind rehabilitation;
- Require the Secretary
of Labor and the Secretary of Defense to coordinate their sharing
of and reporting on the complaint data filed by the National Guard
and Reservists facing difficulty in obtaining employment; and
- Add a representative
from the National Governor's Association to the existing 15 member
Advisory Committee on Veterans Employment, Training and Employer Outreach
operated under the auspices of the Department of Labor.
#
# #
Congresswoman
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin serves South Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives.
She is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats
committed to fiscal discipline and strong national security, and is
co-chair of the Rural Working Group, which is dedicated to raising the
profile of issues important to rural America. She also serves on three
committees vital to South Dakota’s interests: Agriculture, Veterans’
Affairs and Natural Resources. In the 110th Congress, Rep. Herseth Sandlin
was appointed to serve on the Select Committee on Energy Independence
and Global Warming.
|
