(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray,
Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee released the following
statement after the White House and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
announced that they would ease restrictions that had been added to a bill
passed by Congress that would provide financial and health care support to
family members caring for severely wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. The
change will allow more caregivers of more veterans to be eligible for the
long-overdue benefit.
“This is an important turnaround for family members
of severely wounded veterans who have dropped everything to care for their
loved ones. The Administration realized their mistake in limiting and delaying
this benefit and is taking steps to fix it, and to fix it quickly. In
particular, the President has shown real leadership on this issue by listening
to our concerns and ensuring the VA made this right.
“Going forward, I will monitor how the VA implements this program, paying
particular attention to how caregivers of veterans with the invisible wounds of
war are considered for this benefit. But the
bottom line is that because we held them accountable, the VA will make a larger
investment, will support more caregivers, and will ensure that health care
providers, not bureaucrats make decisions about who is eligible.
“This law was passed to help support the thousands
of family members of veterans who have left behind careers, lives, and
responsibilities to see that their loved one can recover from wounds they
suffered defending our country. It’s a cost of war that for too long has gone
unaccounted for and one we can no longer ignore.”
As Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee,
Murray has led congressional efforts to restore the criteria to the intent of
Congress when the bill was passed last year. In fact, since the criteria
limiting eligibility for certain caregivers was announced by the VA in
early February of this year Senator Murray has taken numerous steps to fight
the decision including:
- Personally discussing the issue with President
Obama in the Oval Office, - Questioning
VA Secretary Eric Shinseki on the program changes and delays in front of
her Committee, - Sending a bi-partisan
letter, cosigned by 17 additional Senators, calling on the Administration
to end delays in moving forward with the law, and - Joining
with leaders
of the Senate and House Veterans’ Affairs Committees to call on President
Obama to stop the VA from severely limiting the benefit.
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