Oregon Watchdog: House Passes Measures Aimed at Assisting Veterans

Oregon Legislature
House Majority Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 27, 2009
CONTACT: Michael Cox (503) 986-1904

House Passes Several Measures Aimed at Assisting Veterans
House Democrats have made helping military veterans a top priority this session

SALEM – House Democrats today carried two memorials and one bill designed to assist veterans once their service to country is complete. The measures would help veterans qualify for home loans and increase their access to health care.

Representative Brent Barton (D-Clackamas) carried House Joint Memorial 12, which urges Congress to enact legislation increasing veterans’ access to health care by proportionally compensating those who travel from rural and remote areas more for their specialty care.

“There are significant challenges faced by rural veterans who need to travel long distance for specialty care,” said Barton. “Congress can and should increase access to quality health care regardless of a veteran’s geographic distance to a VA hospital.”

House Joint Memorial 21, carried on the floor by Representative Chuck Riley (D-Hillsboro), urges the United States Congress to change the funding mechanism of the Veterans Affairs health care system from discretionary to permanent and direct entitlements in order to ensure all veterans health care is covered.

“Both increases costs and increasing demands for medical services have made it harder for sick veterans to get care,” said Riley. “HJM 21 would eliminate uncertainty for veterans by making this form of health care funding mandatory.”

House Bill 3470, carried on the floor by Representative Jean Cowan (D-Newport), is a companion to House Joint Resolution 7. Together, the measures would broaden the eligibility pool of veterans for the Oregon War Veterans’ Fund.

House Democrats have made supporting Oregon’s veterans and their families need a top priority for the 2009 legislative session, placing the issue on their Roadmap for Oregon’s Future.

“We must make sure that we care for our veterans when they return home,” said Cowan, Chair of the House Veterans and Emergency Services Committee. “Doing less would not simply be irresponsible; it would represent a failure of character.”
###