House Veterans Panel Passes Six Benefits Bills

The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee approved six bills including an omnibus bill creating a new Veterans’ job-training program, excluding some insurance or court settlements from counting as income that would reduce or stop pensions, and doubling $2,000 the monthly pension for living recipients of the Medal of Honor. Other bills passed by the committee included: HR 5593, which would provide financial counseling to beneficiaries of Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance; HR 3685, which would require Veterans Affairs (VA) Department to more prominently display links to potential jobs for veterans on the VA home page and to make certain private-sector jobs are included; HR 5630, which would set in law the qualifications to be a Veterans employment coordinator or vocational rehabilitation counselor; and HR 3787, which would allow National Guard and Reserve retirees not yet receiving retired pay to officially be considered “Veterans,” although no new benefits would come with the title. To find out more information, go to the Library of Congress at:http://thomas.loc.gov/ or to read the complete article, click here:http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/09/military-house-veterans-benefits-bills-091510w/