Legislation of Interest to Veterans...

The information on this page has been provided by Iowa State Representatives, Jeff Danielson and Robert Kressig, and United States Representative, Bruce Braley.

What follows is a list of the policies and programs in place for Iowa’s Veterans, many implemented or improved in the last few years. The more recent additions are first, with older information following:

The 2009 legislative session ended on Saturday, April 26. Below is a list of bills passed that effect Iowa veterans and their families:

The Iowa House continued their commitment to supporting Iowa’s Service Members and Veterans. This session, there were many veterans’ issues that were approved by the Legislature.

Definition of a Veteran

House File 503 expanded the definition of a veteran to include any individual who served at least 18 months and was honorably discharged after April 6, 1917. Current law defines a veteran to include an individual who served in the Armed Forces of the United States only during certain periods of time during various wars and conflicts. This change will expand access to peace time veterans. The bill takes effect July 1, 2010.

Mortgage Protection

House File 706 protects members of the reserve component of the United States military from losing their homes while on active duty. Under current state law, reservists and their families are not protected from mortgage foreclosures. In addition, the bill increases penalties from a simple misdemeanor to a serious misdemeanor for persons who foreclose mortgages on active members of Iowa National Guard and their families.

In-State Tuition

Senate File 451 increases education access for veterans and their families. The bill requires community colleges and Regent universities to charge in-state tuition for undergraduate study. This provision applies to veterans whom are eligible for benefits under, or have exhausted the benefits, of the federal Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, their spouses, and their dependents. All eligible individuals must be residents of Iowa during their course of study to qualify.

Education Interstate Compact

House File 214 allows Iowa to join the Interstate Compact of Educational Opportunities for Military Children. The compact will remove barriers imposed on children of military families because of frequent moves and deployment of their parents. Iowa would be the 12th state to join the compact.

Honoring our Fallen

Senate File 112 honors our fallen soldiers by requiring that flags be flown at half-staff at the State Capitol in recognition of the death of a member of the Armed Forces while serving on active duty. The flags will then be presented to the service member’s family. __________________________________________________________

Veterans Affairs Committees

 In 2007, stand alone Veteran’s Affairs committees were established in both the Iowa Senate & House. This was the first time in decades Veterans had their own committees in the legislature. It goes without saying, these committees have been busy addressing a host of issues effecting veterans, both young and old. (Senate - www3.legis.state.ia.us/ga/committee.do?id=182, House - www3.legis.state.ia.us/ga/committee.do?id=80).

Veterans Job Protection Act

 Helps military service members return to their jobs after serving their country. This law was inspired by a U.S. Army Reservist from Iowa who’d been denied her job when she returned from 15 months on active duty. The law requires that an employee returning from military service be given a position of like seniority, status and pay, if not returned to their original position. This change is consistent with the federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. Employers who violate the law will be held responsible for employee reinstatement, back pay, lost benefits, seniority and pension adjustments. They will also face prosecution on misdemeanor charges.

Injured Veterans Grant

 This grant provides up to $10,000 to members or former members of the U.S. military who are residents of Iowa and were seriously injured in the Iraq or Afghanistan theatre of operation. These grants have helped families reunite during the healing process by easing the burden of unexpected costs when a veteran is injured in the line of duty. (www.iowava.org/benefits/injured_vets_grant.html).

Sullivan Brothers Veterans Museum

 Waterloo’s Sullivan Brothers Veteran Museum has received nearly $2 million dollars for an oral history project capturing first hand accounts of Iowa veterans experiences. This important effort attempts to catalogue in a very personal way individual accounts of veterans experiences who are from Iowa why they are still alive. This is open to all veterans regardless of the era in which they served. (www.groutmuseumdistrict.org/sullivans/sullivans_project.html)

Vietnam Veterans Resolution 139

Honoring the service of all Iowa’s Vietnam era veterans. Passed unanimously in 2008.

Veterans Trust Fund

Expanded services for Iowa veterans by broadening the allowable expenses that can be paid using the interest from the state’s Veterans Trust Fund. Beginning in December of 2007, the interest of this fund will be available to provide relief for Iowa veterans and their families. Funds can be used for travel expenses for service related medical care; unemployment assistance due to service related causes, job training or tuition assistance; vision, hearing, and dental care for veterans in a nursing home or receiving home care; grants to the children of disabled or deceased veterans following September 11, 2001; counseling services; funding for family support groups; and grants for providing honor guard services at veteran’s funerals. Trust fund expenditures are approved through the Iowa Veterans Commission.

Veterans Parental Rights Act

Ensuring that deployed service members who have custody and physical care of their children prior to being deployed will retain that custody upon returning, and that deployment cannot be used against a service member in a child custody hearing.

Veterans Home Ownership Assistance Program

The Iowa legislature created the Military Service Member Homeownership Assistance Program in 2005 to help eligible members of the armed forces of the purchase qualified homes in Iowa through matching grants. A grant under the Program is a dollar-for-dollar match of the service member’s contribution, up to $5,000. The Program is administered by the Iowa Finance Authority.  The program is available to service members who: At the time of applying for a grant under the program, have served on active duty in a Title 10, United States Code, active federal military service status for at least 90 days cumulative, other than training, during the period beginning September 11, 2001, and ending June 30, 2008, as a member of the national guard, reserve, or regular component of the armed forces of the United States; Purchase a qualifying home; Utilize a participating lender (if financing the purchase); and Contribute a matching cash amount to the purchase (up to $5,000).  The Program is also available to surviving spouses of deceased eligible service members who meet the other eligibility requirements. There are no income or purchase price limits, and grants awarded under the Program may be used in conjunction with other assistance available through FHA, VA, USDA, IFA, or other programs if the eligible service member qualifies for those programs. To learn more, call 1-800-432-7230.  (www.ifahome.com/en/for_home_buyers/military_service_member_homeownership_assistance).

Vietnam Veterans Bonus

 Iowa residents who served on active duty for at least 120 days between July 1, 1973 and May 31, 1975 are eligible for this bonus program. Veterans who served in Vietnam will receive $17.50 for each month served. Veterans that served outside of Vietnam during this time will receive $12.50 for each month of service. The maximum bonus amount is $500 for veterans who served in Vietnam and $300 for those who were not in country. This bonus is in addition to other Vietnam Era bonuses that have already been paid. This gap in service years who were not previously eligible has been an unmet need for decades. (www.iowava.org/benefits/conflict_bonus.html).

Iowa Veterans Lottery Games

 New Lottery games with revenues dedicated to the Veterans Trust Fund. Two new pull-tab and two new scratch games are expected to generate $3.3 million annually for the Fund. (www.ialottery.com/pressroom/N03-12-08_player.html).

County Veterans Office Standards Act

 Requiring county veterans service offices to have minimum hours of service, and requiring executive directors or administrators to be certified by the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers, and have annual continuing education. (www.iowava.org/counties/index.html).

Disabled Veterans Hunting & Fishing licenses

 Allowing more disabled Iowa veterans to apply for lifetime fishing licenses or lifetime combined hunting and fishing licenses for a one-time fee, and streamlining the application process.

Veterans Trust Fund Income Tax Check-Off

 Added an Iowa Income Tax Check-off to designate contributions to the Veterans Trust Fund and to the Volunteer Firefighter Preparedness Fund. Revenue generated by the check-off will be split 50-50. )www.iowava.org/benefits/trust_fund.html)

War Orphan Educational Assistance

 Expanded eligibility for War Orphans Educational Assistance to children of those who died in active military service on or after September 11, 2001, eliminating the requirement that the child live in Iowa for a minimum of two years prior to applying for assistance, and allowing the assistance to be used at any post-secondary institution in Iowa, not just community colleges and Regents institutions. Children of Iowa veterans killed in action following September 11, 2001 are eligible for tuition assistance at the rate of the most expensive Iowa Regents University at an Iowa secondary education institution. Dependents of those killed in action prior to September 11, 2001 are eligible for $600 per year with a maximum of $3,000. Residency is required to receive this benefit. (www.iowava.org/benefits/war_orphans.html)

Iowa Veterans Home

 In partnership with the federal government to improve services and facilities, the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown will receive a $26.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for the first phase of construction to expand and renovate the Marshalltown facility. The Legislature has already appropriated approximately $15 million in state matching funds for phase one of this important initiative, and added an additional $20.5 million in infrastructure funding. When leveraged with federal dollars, the project should total $100 million. The money will be used to build a 132-bed nursing home, a 60-bed pavilion and other renovations to complete the master plan. The result will be a state-of-the-art facility that will be one of the best in the country and enhance the quality health care, security and sense of community that those who served our nation deserve. The Iowa Veterans Home provides a wide range of services, such as on-site physicians and a pharmacy, dementia and hospice care, nursing, rehabilitation and mental health services, nutritionists and social workers. It also offers a variety of activities and special events on and off campus. (http://ivh.iowa.gov/).

Iowa Veterans Social Gamin

Allows qualified veterans groups to conduct poker tournaments in their establishments (VFW, AMVETS, etc.) to raise money for their organizations. Annual casino night can now award cash instead of merchandise. (www.state.ia.us/government/dia/page10.html).

Iowa Veterans Cemetery

Established in 2006 for all Iowa veterans, the Iowa Veterans Cemetery will begin operation in the summer of 2008. Located 10 miles west of Des Moines, near Van Meter, the cemetery will be available to all veterans, their spouses, and dependent children for burial. Honorably discharged veterans will be interred at no charge and spouses/dependents will be buried for a $300 fee. (www.iowava.org/vetcemetery) _____________________________ The 2008 legislative session ended on Saturday, April 26. Below is a list of bills passed that effect Iowa veterans and their families:
  • Job Security Act – troops called to active duty care return to their job at same pay and status (HF 2065)
  • Veteran’s Trust Fund -- $3 million dedicated funding source to the fund, which provides services like medical care, job training, and counseling. Also expanded the list of expenditures that the fund can be used for to include prescription drugs, housing repair, and medical equipment. (HF 2359 and SF 2124)
  • County Veterans Affairs Commissions – establishes training requirements for local veteran’s affairs offices, requires every office to be open at least 20 hours, and provides $1 million in additional money for the offices (SF 2134)
  • Veterans Home -- $20.6 million for renovations and construction of the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown (SF 2432)
  • Veterans Checkoff – An Iowa income tax checkoff will be on tax forms next year with proceeds split between the Veterans Trust Fund & the Volunteer Fire Fighters Preparedness Fund (SF 2124)

What follows is a list of the policies and programs considered or passed for Veterans in the U. S. House of Representatives:

  • Wounded Warrior Assistance Act, which passed the House unanimously on Wednesday, March 28, 2007. This bill creates a new system of case managers, advocates, and counselors to help veterans get the care they need and to help navigate the military's health care bureaucracy; establishes a toll-free hotline for reporting deficiencies in medical facilities; and creates a new system to transfer soldiers' medical records from the Defense Department to the Veterans' Affairs (VA) Department more efficiently.
  • Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act, which passed the House unanimously on March 21, 2007, and which requires the Veterans Administration (VA) to develop and implement a comprehensive veterans suicide prevention program, requires the VA to provide 24-hour mental health care services to veterans, and requires that a suicide prevention counselor be available at every VA facility.
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  • Traumatic Brain Injury Health Enhancement and Long-Term Support Act of 2007, which helps ensure that our veterans are properly screened for Traumatic Brain Injury by requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs to screen veterans for TBI; calling for a comprehensive program of long-term care for post-acute TBI rehabilitation; establishing a TBI transition office at each of the 21 polytrauma network sites nationwide; creating a TBI veteran health registry; and expanding VA resources to provide rural communities with "mobile vet centers" for mental health services and benefits outreach. This bill passed the House by a vote of 421-0 on May 23, 2007.
  • Returning Servicemember VA Healthcare Insurance Act, which extends the period of eligibility for health care for combat service in the Persian Gulf War or future hostilities from two years to five years after discharge or release. The bill is meant to address mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, which may not be evident right after a veteran’s discharge from service. This will also provide veterans who might be denied health care due to the Bush Administration enrollment ban policy an additional period of time to gain access to VA health care. This bill passed the House on May 23, 2007 by a vote of 419-0.
  • Veterans Outreach Improvement Act, which allows the VA to partner with state and local governments to reach out to veterans and their families in ensuring they receive the benefits for which they are eligible and assist them in completing their benefits claims. Federal grants would be directed to states with large and growing populations of veterans. This bill passed the House on May 23, 2007 by a vote of 421-0.
  • Early Access to Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Benefits Act , which extends eligibility for rehabilitation benefits from the Veterans' Affairs Department to current members of the armed forces who are hospitalized or are receiving outpatient medical care, have a disability of at least 10% incurred or aggravated while on active duty, and who are likely to be discharged from the service due to that disability. This bill passed the House on May 23, 2007 by a vote of 414-0.
  • Chiropractic Care Available to All Veterans Act, which requires that chiropractic care and services be provided to veterans at all Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers within four years. This bill passed the House on May 23, 2007 by a vote of 421-1.
  • Military Retirees Health Care Protection Act, which would block proposed increases to TRICARE military health insurance premiums, co-payments for pharmaceuticals, deductibles for inpatient care, and premiums for Guard and Reserve members who are enrolled in TRICARE.
  • Retired Pay Restoration Act, which repeals the disabled veterans tax. This bill would allow the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans’ disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability (currently, only vets with a disability rating of 50 percent or more are allowed to receive both).
  • H.R. 1330, a bill to lengthen the amount of time that Guard or Reserve members can take advantage of the GI Bill after finishing military service to 10 years.
  • H.R.1927, to repeal the Survivors Benefit Plan (SBP) – Dependency and Indemnity Compensation offset for surviving military spouse annuities, and to move the effective date of paid-up coverage under SBP from October 2008 to October 2007.
  • H.R. 690, to reduce the minimum age for receipt of military pay for the Reserve Component from 60 to 55.
  • H.R.2219, Veterans Suicide Prevention Hotline Act, which directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to award a grant to a private, nonprofit entity to establish, publicize, and operate a national toll-free suicide prevention telephone hotline targeted to and staffed by veterans of the Armed Forces.
  • H.R. 2514, the Assured Funding for Veterans Healthcare Act, which would provide for an assured adequate level of funding for veterans health care.
  • H.R. 2192, to establish an Ombudsman within the Department of Veterans Affairs to act as a liaison for veterans and their family members with respect to the receipt of health care and benefits administered by the Department.
  • Benefit Rating Acceleration for Veteran Entitlements (BRAVE) Act, which would allow veterans who receive a total disability rating from the VA to also receive Social Security disability benefits without going through a separate and duplicative medical evaluation process.
  • H.R. 2417, the Montgomery GI Bill Second Chance Act, to allow active duty military personnel to withdraw an election not to participate in the Montgomery GI Bill program. Would allow them to enroll and to pay the same $100 per month for 12 months as those who originally signed up for the program, or gives them the option to make a one-time payment of $1,200.
  • H.R. 2303, the Perpetual Purple Heart Stamp Act, which would provide for the issuance of a `forever stamp' to honor the sacrifices of the brave men and women of the armed forces who have been awarded the Purple Heart.
  • H.R. 2642, the Fiscal Year 2008 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, which increases the VA budget by $6.7 billion above the Fiscal Year 2007 level, the largest single increase in the 77-year history of the Veterans Administration and $3.8 billion above the President’s request. This bill provides for much needed maintenance of VA health care facilities ($500 million above the President’s request), and makes five polytrauma centers and three Centers of Excellence for Mental Health and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder fully operational this year to care for soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, including those with Traumatic Brain Injury. This bill also significantly reduces the 400,000 claims backlog for veterans waiting for disability and other benefits by adding more than 1,100 new claims processors and creates a toll-free telephone and web-based hotline for veterans to report on deficiencies in VA medication facilities and care. This bill will also help ensure that veterans have a seamless transition from the DOD to the VA by permitting the VA to transfer up to $15 billion for a joint program to improve access to care. This bill passed the House of Representatives on June 15th, 2007, by a vote of 409-2.
  • H.R. 1944, the Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Act of 2007, which directs the VA to establish a TBI screening program and develop and carry out a program of long-term care for TBI rehabilitation.
  • H.Con.Res.162, which expresses the sense of Congress that Congress and the President should increase basic pay for members of the Armed Forces (by 3.5 percent, effective January 1, 2008).
  • H.R. 1541, the Coming Together for Guard and Reserve Families Act, on March 15, 2007, which would provide improved support and assistance for families of members of the National Guard and Reserve throughout the cycle of deployment.