November 2011 - Navy
By Congressman Tim Walz
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Minnesota’s 1st District
The debt we owe the nation’s service members and
veterans is immeasurable. Today, we continue to be
engaged in hostilities in Iraq and Afghanistan, and
young men and women will pay the ultimate price
while wearing the uniform of our nation.
General Douglas MacArthur once described the
American service member as “...one of the world’s noblest
figures, not only as one of the finest military characters, but
also as one of the most stainless. His name and fame are the
birthright of every American citizen.”
I believe General MacArthur’s words are as relevant
today as they were 48 years ago. Therefore, it is fitting to
honor these heroes by renewing our commitment to caring
for of our service members while they are in the military
and after they come home.
As a 24-year veteran of the Minnesota National Guard,
I’m proud of the work we’ve done in Congress to support
our veterans and service members.
Although we have come a long way concerning care for
our veterans and service members, our work is never done.
We must ensure that our returning troops do not fall through
the cracks and that they make that transition to civilian life
with the full support they need.
Jobs for Returning Heroes
Today, one of the most important challenges facing our
returning veterans is their ability to get a job when they
return home. These are some of the most difficult economic
times our nation has ever faced. But our returning soldiers
are talented, they are capable and they have made incredible
sacrifices. They have left behind their homes, their families
and their jobs to serve our nation. The least we can do is make
sure they have access to a good paying job when they return.
That’s why I proudly introduced legislation that helps
provide veterans with the care and support they have earned.
In 2010, the unemployment rate for Iraq and
Afghanistan veterans was a staggering 11.5 percent, leaving
over 210,000 combat veterans struggling to find gainful
employment. Considering that our veterans possess attractive
characteristics such as discipline and integrity as well as
practical skills, that statistic becomes more alarming.
My Veterans Employment Transition Act would address
the increasing number of veterans that find themselves
unemployed after sacrificing so much to serve their country.
My legislation would:
-
Extend a recently expired tax credit for potential
employers;
- Expand the program to include National Guard and
Reservists who served on non-federal active duty time; and
- Also requires DoD to educate and provide documentation
to eligible servicemembers that can be attached to their
resumés, empowering both veterans and employers to make
use of this credit and put our veterans back to work.
We also have to look at small business, which are the
life blood of our economy.
I would love to see more veterans start their own
businesses. They have many of the qualities needed to run
successful organization, thanks to the military and GI Bill,
etc. We must ask ourselves how the federal set-aside contracts
for veteran owned small businesses are working and how
we can incentivize more veterans to start their own small
business.
While my Veterans Employment Transition Act is a vital
step in addressing the ever increasing number of unemployed
veterans, we must all work together to address this
issue. It will take everyone involved, from the private sector,
to the Administration, and to Congress, all working with
each other to get this right.
After all, our veterans have sacrificed for this great country;
it is our duty to make certain that they return from service
to a decent job.
Veterans’“Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitative Services”
Improvements Act of 2011
In addition to veteran’s unemployment, an unprecedented
number of warriors are returning home from
Iraq and Afghanistan with severe polytraumatic injuries.
This is not only due to the nature of the fighting and
the kinds of injuries being sustained, but also to advances
in military medicine and logistics that have saved countless
lives that might have been lost from these injuries in
previous wars.
Reflecting on the needs of many of those veterans, I
introduced the Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitative
Services Improvements Act of 2011 to help some of
our most severely injured, those with severe traumatic
brain injury.
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are among the most
complex injuries our warriors have sustained. Each case
is unique and injuries can result in wide-ranging loss of
function.
My legislation is aimed at closing gaps in current law
that have had the effect of denying some veterans with
severe TBI from achieving optimal outcomes.
Many VA facilities have dedicated rehabilitation-medicine
staff, but the scope of services actually provided to
veterans with a severe TBI can be limited, both in duration
and in the range of services authorized.
Veterans encounter two distinct problems. First, it is
all too common for staff to advise families that the VA
can no longer provide a particular rehabilitative service
because the veteran is no longer making significant
progress. But ongoing rehabilitation is often needed to
maintain function, and individuals who are denied maintenance
therapy can regress and lose cognitive and other
gains they’ve made through rehab work.
A second problem veterans encounter is in getting help
with community reintegration, and learning to live as
independently as possible. VA’s rehabilitation focus relies
almost exclusively on a medical model; that assistance is
critical, but doesn’t necessarily go far enough for some
veterans in providing the range of support a young person
needs to achieve the fullest possible life in the community.
In contrast, other models of rehabilitative care meet
TBI patients’ needs through such services as life-skills
coaching, supported employment, and community reintegration
therapy. These services are seldom made available
to veterans.
My legislation closes these gaps. Specifically, it would
clarify that VA may not prematurely cut off needed rehabilitation
services for an individual with traumatic brain
injury, and that veterans with TBI can get the support
they need––whether those are health-services or nonmedical
assistance—to achieve maximum independence
and quality of life.
This legislation has received broad support from
major veterans’ service organization. I am grateful for
that support and I am proud to say this legislation passed
the House on October 11, 2011.
Honoring Guard and Reserve Retirees
In addition to veteran’s employment and TBI, I have
also introduced legislation to address the injustice of
denying individuals full standing as “veteran” who have
completed twenty years or more in the Reserve Component
but have not served a qualifying period of federal
active duty.
The men and women of the Reserve Components take
the same oath to serve and protect our country as the
Active Component.
They sacrifice their time and energy and stand ready,
if called upon, to serve in combat in time of war.
I know all too well the frustration of our Guardsmen
and Reservists who are not considered veterans after
proudly serving in uniform for twenty years or more.
As a retired Command Sergeant Major with 24 years
of service in the National Guard and the highest ranking
enlisted soldier to serve in the House of Representatives,
I know personally the sacrifice and hard work that is
required of each and every member of the National
Guard.
For those who have completed 20 years or more in the
Reserve Component but have not served a qualifying
period of federal active duty, we honor their service with
many of the same benefits given to active duty military
retirees––with one notable exception: they are denied
full standing as a “veteran.”
This issue is a question of honor for those who have
served our nation faithfully for 20 years or more but,
through no fault of their own, were never activated.
I believe that these men and women have earned the
respect and recognition that comes with the designation
of “veteran,” which is why I introduced H.R. 1025.
This legislation would amend Title 38 to include in
the definition(s) of “veteran” those retirees of the Guard
/ Reserve Components who have completed 20 or more
years of service but are not considered to be veterans
under the current statutory definitions.
The bill would confer no benefits and as such incurs
no costs, either mandatory or discretionary.
I am pleased to say this legislation passed the House
on October 11, 2011.
Leave No Veteran Behind
I want to thank each and every one of you for the
work you do every single day to make sure our nation’s
heroes are taken care of and we keep our responsibility
to them.
I could not be more proud to work with you. Together,
we can make sure that, just as the military pledges to
leave no service member behind on the battlefield, we
leave no veteran behind when they return home.