NEWS FROM CALIFORNIA'S BORDER CONGRESSMAN!
VETERANS’ AFFAIRS
Tax Relief for Military Families - Signed by President Bush
Written by
Imperial Valley News
Washington, D.C. - Congressman
Bob Filner today announced that President Bush
has signed comprehensive legislation to provide
tax relief to military families. The bipartisan
Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax Act
(HEART Act) will make permanent essential tax
relief for our military families, including tax
relief under the Earned Income Tax Credit. The
bill also ensures military families receive
their recovery rebate checks.
“Our troops are risking their
lives thousands of miles from home and many of
their families are struggling through tough
economic times,” said Congressman Filner. “This
legislation will help ensure that our troops and
their families get a portion of the tax relief
they need and deserve, including over one
million military families here in California.”
The legislation requires that
combat pay be treated as earned income for
purposes of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
At the end of the year, many soldiers’ families
working to enter the middle class will be denied
needed tax relief if combat pay is not counted
for purposes of receiving the Earned Income Tax
Credit. The legislation also ensures military
families receive recovery rebate checks that
were approved by Congress as part of the
bipartisan economic stimulus package. The bill
clarifies that a military service member on
active duty who files a joint return is eligible
for a recovery rebate, even if their spouse does
not have a Social Security number.
The HEART Act also helps ensure
reservists who are called up for active duty do
not suffer a pay cut. A recent Department of
Defense survey found that 55 percent of married
Guard members and reservists suffer a loss of
income when being called to active duty. The
HEART Act provides a tax credit of up to $4,000
for small businesses who continue to pay their
National Guard and Reserve employees when they
are called to active duty.
The HEART Act does not add to the
deficit. The legislation closes an egregious tax
loophole that allows government contractors, who
receive millions or billions in taxpayers’
dollars, to set up sham companies in foreign
jurisdictions to avoid paying Social Security
and Medicare taxes. The bills also strengthens
current law to ensure that high net-worth
taxpayers cannot renounce their U.S. citizenship
or terminate their U.S. residence in order to
avoid U.S. taxes.
“Big corporations should not be
able to cheat the tax code while hardworking
families play by the rules,” said Filner. “Our
bill shuts down these unjustifiable loopholes
and makes tax relief for our troops a priority.”
This new law builds on the
progress the New Direction Congress has made on
behalf of our troops and veterans. The
Democratic-led Congress has enacted the largest
increase in funding for veterans’ health care in
the VA’s 77-year history – to strengthen care
for the 5.7 million patients – including more
than 293,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Over
Republican objections, the Congress is also
fighting to create a new GI Bill to restore
full, four-year college education to veterans of
the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, to make them part
of the American economic recovery, just as they
were after World War II. Last year, we provided
a larger military pay increase for our troops,
despite Bush Administration opposition.
Approved by a bipartisan majority
in the House and Senate, the HEART Act is
supported by the American Legion, National
Military Family Association, National
Association of State Departments of Veterans
Affairs, and the Blinded Veterans Association.
Filner Supports Benefits for
Veterans Exposed to Toxins
Congressman Bob Filner, Chairman
of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs,
recently announced his co-sponsorship of H.R.
5954, which would provide benefits for veterans
with diseases associated with service in the
Armed Forces and exposure to biological,
chemical, or other toxic agents as part of
Project 112 and Project SHAD,
an acronym for
Shipboard Hazard and Defense.
Project 112 was a comprehensive
program initiated in 1962, by the Department of
Defense to conduct tests about potential
chemical and biological warfare threats to
land-based forces. Project SHAD was a similar
effort to determine the vulnerability of U.S.
warships to attacks with chemical and biological
warfare agents.
“Many of the service members who
were involved in Project 112 and Project SHAD
were unknowingly exposed to serious biological
and chemical toxins,” stated Congressman
Filner. “We must ensure that these individuals
receive all the health care and benefits that
they deserve.”
VA forms panels to address suicides
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Army Times
The Veterans Affairs Department
has announced two new panels designed to address
the number of suicide attempts among patients
under VA care, which is running around 1,000 a
month.
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee
Chair Bob Filner, D-Calif., immediately
criticized VA’s plans, saying panels and studies
“are not action.”
“We know what needs to be done,”
Filner said in a statement. “Each and every
service member, reservist and Guardsman must be
given a thorough and mandatory medical
evaluation by competent medical personnel when
they separate from military service for PTSD and
[traumatic brain injury]. The VA was asked to do
this weeks ago.”
Read more
Filner Discusses Veterans Legislation with
National Leaders
Congressman Bob Filner, Chairman
of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs,
recently joined Congressional Leaders to discuss
the Congress’ accomplishments on behalf of
veterans. Pictured here with Chairman Filner
are: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; Chairman Chet
Edwards, House Military Construction and
Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee;
and many leaders from Veterans Service
Organizations.
Merchant Mariner veterans deserve compensation
By Bruce Coulter/Staff Writer
Winchester Star
Winchester,
MA - It appears the Congressional Budget Office
(CBO) is betting many Merchant Marine veterans
will not learn of a program that could provide
these much forgotten veterans of World War II
with a monthly stipend. That’s hardly the way to
thank these veterans for their service some 60
years later. In fact, Congress should order the
VA to make mariners aware of the benefit.
It’s been more than a year since
Rep. Robert Filner, D-Calif., filed H.R. 23,
“The Belated Thank You to Merchant Mariners Act
of 2007.” A companion bill, S. 961, was
introduced in the Senate last year by Sen.
Benjamin Nelson, D-Neb .
According to the Senate
Committee’s Web site, Filner, who chairs the
House Committee on Veterans Affairs, testified
at a hearing of the Senate Committee on Veterans
Affairs on May 7, telling committee members that
Merchant Mariners who served during WWII
suffered the highest casualty rate of any branch
of service while delivering troops, tanks, food,
fuel and much-needed supplies to every theater
of the war.
Read more
Rewarding real heroes
By Kevin Uhrich
Pasadena Weekly
It seems incredible that more
than 60 years after World War II there are
people still fighting, only now over formal
recognition of their efforts in helping defeat
Imperial Japanese forces in the Pacific.
But it’s true, and they were some of the world’s
toughest and most resourceful warriors —
Philippine “irregulars,” men and women who
bravely served in armed militias and unarmed
scout programs alongside American military
personnel during those hellish years of
occupation.
Today, more than six decades
later, there aren’t many of these valiant
veterans left — an estimated 12,000 reside in
the Philippines and only 6,000 live in this
country. And today many of those who are still
alive are in their 80s and 90s.
Yet, due to policies shaped by
the attitudes of another time, none of these
folks have been eligible for basic benefits
afforded to all other veterans. And that’s just
wrong.
…
In the US Senate, Hawaii’s
Democratic Sen. Daniel Inouye, himself a wounded
and decorated World War II veteran, introduced
the Filipino Veterans Equity Act, which was
integrated into Senate Bill 1315 and is now
called the Veteran’s Benefits Enhancement Act.
The bill passed the full Senate last month.
In the House, San Diego
Democratic Congressman Bob Filner, chair of the
House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, has
written corresponding legislation that has found
its only opposition from Republicans.
“Sixty years of injustice burns
in the hearts of these veterans,” Filner stated
during a hearing in February. “Now in their 80s
and 90s, their last wish is the restoration of
the honor and dignity due them.”
Read more
Congressman Filner Accuses VA of Covering up
Veterans' Suicide
Jodi Breisler
San Diego Democrat Bob Filner
says the Veterans Administration is criminally
negligent in not responding to the high number
of veterans killing themselves. Jodi Breisler
reports from Capitol Hill.
As Chair of the House Veterans'
Affairs Committee, Filner pressured VA leaders
at a contentious Capitol Hill hearing.
Statistics show that 18 veterans commit suicide
each day. Filner says the VA is not facing up to
those numbers.
Filner:
People are dying from the non-treatment of the
psychological wounds of war. And that's what our
VA is supposed to do. If they don't admit the
severity of the problem, they're not going to
have the resources in place to do the job. I
think that's negligence. I think it's criminal
negligence.
Filner says mentally ill soldiers
are also violent toward others- not just
themselves. That could be stopped with better
treatment and awareness by the Veterans' agency.
From Capitol News Connection in
Washington, I'm Jodi Breisler FOR KPBS News.
Congressman Filner Awarded the Congressional
Medal of Achievement from the Philippines
Congressman Bob Filner recently
received the Congressional Medal of Achievement
from Antonio Diaz, Chairman of the Committee on
Veterans’ Affairs, House of Representatives of
the Philippines.
Congressman Filner Meets with Veterans Leader,
Jim Eblen
Congressman Bob Filner recently
met in his Washington, D.C. office with Jim
Eblen, National Parliamentarian of San Diego
Branch 9, Fleet Reserve Association, to discuss
veterans’ issues.
House Passes Filner Resolution Honoring National
Aviation Maintenance Technicians
The U.S. House of Representatives
recently passed by voice vote Congressman Bob
Filner’s resolution, H.Res. 444, supporting the
goals and ideals of National Aviation
Maintenance Technician Day, honoring the
invaluable contributions of Charles Edward
Taylor, regarded as the father of aviation
maintenance, and recognizing the essential role
of aviation maintenance technicians in ensuring
the safety and security of civil and military
aircraft.
“The humble beginnings of the
aviation maintenance profession, belies the fact
that all of us in the Congress, and our
constituents, rely on the work that aviation
maintenance technicians do every day. They play
an invaluable role not only in ensuring the
safety of commercial aircraft, but also in
ensuring that our men and women in uniform have
safe, reliable planes and helicopters while in
combat and training,” stated Filner. “Thanks to
these dedicated, well-trained professionals, the
United States has by-far the safest air
transportation system in the world. We owe
aircraft mechanics a debt of gratitude for their
service to the flying public.”
Charles Edward Taylor, who built
and maintained the engine that was used to power
the Wright brothers’ first controlled aircraft,
the “Flyer”, was born on May 24, 1868. He is
widely regarded as the father of aviation
maintenance and was a vital contributor of
mechanical skills in the building and
maintaining of early Wright brothers engines and
airplanes. Taylor also built the wind tunnel
used by the Wrights to test models of their
designs.
Taylor also became a leading
mechanic in the Wright aircraft company after it
was formed in 1909. In fact, when Calbraith
Perry Rodgers made his famous cross-country trip
in a Wright brother’s aircraft, he paid Charles
Edward Taylor $70 a week—a large sum at the
time—to be his mechanic. Taylor followed the
flight by train, making required repairs and
preparing the aircraft for the next day's flight
throughout the cross-country trip from Long
Island to California.
Although Taylor was largely
ignored by history, it is important to note that
the Wright brothers were very close friends with
Taylor, and remained in close contact with him
throughout their lives.
Charles Edward Taylor saved
enough money from his adventures to buy several
hundred acres of farmland near the Salton Sea,
located in Filner’s Congressional District.
However, the economic climate of the time
eventually brought him to poverty; and he died
penniless in 1956 at the age of 87. Charles
Edward Taylor was buried at the Portal of Folded
Wings Shrine to Aviation in Burbank, California.
Forty-five U.S. states have
already declared May 24th to be Aviation
Maintenance Technician Day within their
jurisdictions. Filner’s resolution is intended
to support these efforts and honor aviation
maintenance technicians, including Charles
Edward Taylor.
Filner Backs GI Bill for the 21st Century
Washington, D.C. – Congressman
Bob Filner, Chairman of the House Committee on
Veterans’ Affairs, today announced his
co-sponsorship of H.R. 5740, bipartisan
legislation which would offer the 1.7 million
brave men and women who have served in the wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan educational benefits, on
par with those provided to veterans of the World
War II era. The legislation will give our
returning troops the tools to succeed after
military service, make military service more
attractive as we work to rebuild our military,
and strengthen our sagging economy.
“This new GI Bill for the 21st
century is a key step in honoring the service
and sacrifice of our troops and restoring the
promise of the GI Bill to pay for a full
four-year college education,” declared
Congressman Filner. “Not only will this
strengthen our military, it will also make the
heroes of Iraq and Afghanistan part of a new
American economic recovery—just like after World
War II.”
Filner added,
“My greatest concern is that this bill does not
include a vital part of the original bill, the
home loan guarantee program. I will continue to
work to address the housing concerns that are
not addressed in Senator Webb’s bill. In the
meantime, I will collaborate with Senator Webb
and my colleagues in Congress to move this
legislation forward as quickly as possible.”
Under the new
GI Bill, servicemembers returning from Iraq or
Afghanistan, who have served 3 years on active
duty, would receive benefits to cover the costs
of a four-year education up to the level of the
most expensive in-state public school, along
with a stipend for housing, books and other
expenses. Education benefits would be available
to troops who have served at least 3 months of
active duty service since September 11, 2001,
including members of the National Guard and
Reserve. Right now, veterans’ education benefits
cover only about 60 percent of the cost of a
public-school education.
The original GI Bill launched
millions of families on a course of prosperity
and toward achieving the American Dream—and set
the American economy on the right course after a
draining war. It made a free college education
available to more than 15 million war veterans
after World War II. By 1956, about 8 million
World War II veterans took advantage the GI Bill
education and job training. Every dollar spent
on the original GI Bill created a seven-fold
return for the economy.
The new GI Bill is broadly
supported by all major veterans’ organizations,
including the American Legion, the Veterans of
Foreign Wars, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans
of America. The bill has 249 cosponsors in the
House (including 71 Republicans) and 58 sponsors
in the Senate (including 11 Republicans).
Filner Moves One Step Closer to Equity for
Filipino Veterans
Congressman Bob Filner, Chairman
of the House Veterans’ Affairs recently provided
the following statement regarding the U.S.
Senate passage of S. 1315, the Veterans Benefits
Enhancement Act of 2007:
“I commend the Senate action to
pass S. 1315, the Veterans Benefits Enhancement
Act of 2007. I am grateful to Senator Akaka for
his leadership in recognizing Filipino veterans
for their contributions to the successful
outcome of World War II.
“For more than sixty years, a
wrong has existed that must be righted. The
Rescission Acts of 1946 took away rightfully
earned benefits and the honor and respect due
these veterans who served our country.
“It is now up to the House of
Representatives to do our part to pass
legislation and send to the President for his
signature.
“I am hopeful that the 110th
Congress will finally correct the grievous
injustice inflicted on Filipino veterans.”
House lawmaker favors Senate GI Bill proposal
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
NavyTimes.com
The House Veterans’ Affairs
Committee chairman has taken the unusual
position of favoring a Senate bill that would
improve GI Bill education benefits over a bill
prepared by members of his own committee.
On Thursday, one day after the
committee’s economic opportunity panel approved
a bipartisan GI Bill improvement package, HR
5684, Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., chairman of the
full committee, issued a statement praising the
Senate GI Bill plan as “the best blueprint for a
new system.”
The House bill would increase GI
Bill payments to cover the average cost of
attending a four-year public college; create a
monthly stipend of up to $500; and expand
eligibility and the period of time veterans have
to use their benefits.
The subcommittee approved HR 5684
by voice vote, with no controversy. Its chief
sponsors are Reps. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D.,
chairwoman of the subcommittee, and John Boozman,
R-Ark., the ranking minority party member.
As chairman, Filner has the power
to decide when and if measures come to a vote
before his full committee. It plans to pass
several veterans’ benefits bills next week, but
HR 5684 is not among them, according to
committee aides.
Herseth Sandlin said Wednesday
that she had hoped for quick passage of the bill
and was working with Boozman on a second measure
that would improve reserve education benefits
not covered by HR 5684.
Filner said in an interview that
he is not trying to undermine his own committee
members, but liked the other bill more because
it calls for bigger increases and appears to
have a better chance of becoming law.
“I think it is the vehicle that
has the best opportunity to go the right way,”
he said.
He also faulted HR 5684 for
omitting increases in reserve education benefits
that are part of the Senate bill. Reserve
programs were left out because the Armed
Services Committee, not the Veterans’ Affairs
Committee, has jurisdiction over the reserve
benefits plan.
Herseth Sandlin was not
immediately available for additional comment.
The Senate bill backed by Filner
is S 22, the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational
Assistance Act of 2007, sponsored by Sen. Jim
Webb, D-Va. It would offer more generous
benefits than the House bill, but has drawn
strong opposition from the Pentagon and
Department of Veterans Affairs.
Webb’s bill promises to pay full
tuition plus a larger stipend that would vary by
state.
There are other differences, too.
HR 5684 would allow GI Bill benefits to be used
to pay off existing student loans, a provision
missing from S 22.
However, HR 5684 retains the
$1,200 fee to enroll in the GI Bill; S 22 would
eliminate that fee.
S 22 has been tied up in the
Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee since January
2007, when it was first introduced. Webb has
collected 57 co-sponsors in hopes of getting the
bill passed by the Senate as an attachment to
some other legislation, such as the wartime
supplemental funding bill that the Senate is
expected to consider in May.
A House version of S 22, HR 5740,
was referred to Filner’s committee but was set
aside in favor of the bipartisan bill that the
subcommittee approved Wednesday.
Filner’s statement recognizes the
many GI Bill proposals in play, but indicates
his preference for S 22, while still holding out
hope of improving veterans’ home loan programs
as part of the measure.
While Filner’s support of S 22
undercuts the compromise bill passed by his
committee’s economic opportunity panel, Filner’s
support for S 22 puts him in league with Sen.
Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, the Senate Veterans’
Affairs Committee chairman who recently signed
on as a co-sponsor of Webb’s bill.
Filner said he would work with
Webb and Akaka to get the bill passed.
House panel votes to expand VA home loans
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
NavyTimes.com
A House subcommittee voted April
23 to update the veterans home loan program to
expand availability of government-backed
mortgages to service members, cut loan fees and
stall foreclosure on mortgages for troops
returning from deployment.
The House Veterans’ Affairs
economic opportunity panel passed two bills —
one that would provide increased foreclosure
protection, mostly for National Guard and
reserve members who have been mobilized, and
another that would expand the loan program by:
-
Increasing the maximum loan
available to $625,500, a 50 percent increase
from the current limit of $417,000.
-
Setting a flat 1 percent fee
for all loans.
-
Expanding opportunities to
refinance existing loans with Veterans
Affairs Department-backed loans.
Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif.,
chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs
Committee, is the chief sponsor of both bills.
Home ownership is the American
dream, but “for many service members and
veterans, that part of the American dream can
become a nightmare when coupled with frequent
deployments, the high cost of purchasing a home
and rising interest rates,” Filner said.
One of his bills, HR 4884, would
remove two obstacles that make it difficult for
someone with a non-VA loan to use the VA loan
program for refinancing. It would scrap a
requirement that the owner have at least 10
percent equity in a home and also eliminate a
$144,000 cap on refinancing, an amount too low
to be of much help to people fleeing high
interest rates.
The Helping Our Veterans to Keep
Their Homes Act would eliminate a complex fee
structure in which service members and veterans
can pay between 1 percent and 3.3 percent of the
value of a loan, depending on the size of their
down payment and on whether they have used the
loan program before, whether they are in the
reserves, the active forces or are veterans, and
other factors.
VA supports some of the changes
but opposes the fee cuts, saying the money it
charges could discourage people from making down
payments and lead to riskier loans.
The subcommittee also passed HR
4883, another Filner bill that would bar
foreclosure of property owned by service members
for one year following their release from active
duty.
The bill, which amends the legal
and financial protections of Servicemembers’
Civil Relief Act, would apply only to property
owned before beginning military service, and
would apply mainly to National Guard and reserve
members who run into financial problems while
mobilized.
Under current law, they are
protected from foreclosure while on active duty,
but only for the first 90 days after release
from active duty.
Ronald Chamrin, assistant
director of the American Legion’s Economic
Commission, said the foreclosure protection
provides “an extended period of time to become
employed, correct all their finances and assist
them in the transition process.
“In the most unfortunate of
circumstances, lenders are unwilling to
negotiate and assist veterans who are in default
status even though these veterans are in a good
position to correct the situation,” he said.
Filner said the current VA loan
program is “not sufficient to meet the needs of
our veterans”. “Too often, the loan amount
is insufficient to purchase a home, does not
offer alternatives for veterans with less than
perfect credit, and does not incorporate younger
veterans that may lack the necessary financial
track record to prove they are a good risk,” he
said.
Congressman Bob Filner recently recognized the
Fund for Veterans’ Education
Congressman Bob Filner recently
recognized the Fund for Veterans’ Education (FVE)
for their dedication to educational
opportunities for veterans. Founded in 2007, FVE
will provide need-based scholarships for
undergraduate veteran-students from all fifty
states, during the 2008 and 2009 academic years.
Pictured here with the Congressman are (from
left): Evan Aanerud, FVE Scholarship Recipient;
Jerome Kohlberg, FVE Founder and Chairman; and
Joseph Nannery, FVE Scholarship Recipient.
Congressman Bob Filner Makes Sense of Valley
Veterans Clinic
El Centro, California -
Congressman Bob Filner, Chairman of the House of
Representatives Veterans’ Affairs Committee,
today announced that the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded a contract to
Sterling Medical to develop a VA Community Based
Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) for veterans in the
Imperial Valley.
The new clinic will be located at
1600 South Imperial Drive, El Centro, California
92243, near the El Centro Regional Medical
Center. The facility is a currently existing
building that will be customized to meet the
needs of the new veterans’ clinic. Construction
is scheduled to start soon, and the clinic is
expected to open this summer!
This move is the culmination of
an effort, spearheaded by Congressman Filner, to
establish a veterans’ clinic in the Valley. The
goal is to significantly improve the medical
services available to the County’s veterans. As
the planning moves forward, Filner will continue
to meet with veterans to assure that their ideas
and suggestions are incorporated into the
process, so that their healthcare needs will be
met when the clinic opens.
Congressman Filner said, “I am
extremely pleased to announce that the contract
has been signed and the Valley veterans’ clinic
will soon be a reality. For too long, veterans,
many of whom were wounded and have already
sacrificed so much for our Nation, have been
forced to travel four hours roundtrip for
routine medical care—this is unacceptable! We
will open the doors to the clinic in a few
months and begin living up to our promises. I
will monitor the treatment provided at the
clinic to ensure that Valley veterans receive
the care that they deserve.”
The 2,663 square foot clinic will
have two examination rooms, a teleconference
room for remote mental health counseling, and a
reception and waiting room area. The clinic will
offer enhanced services including computer
access in the waiting room to My HealtheVet, a
computer access website for veterans to search
for medical information and refill
prescriptions. The clinic will accommodate a
full-time physician, registered nurse/care
coordinator, licensed vocational nurse,
administrative staff support and a part time
phlebotomist. Routine lab services will also be
available.
Congressman Filner proudly
represents over 150,000 constituents in all of
the Imperial County. As well as fighting for
veterans, he continues to fight to protect the
environment, improve education and healthcare
for all, and create a vibrant local economy for
Imperial Valley residents.
Valley Veterans Clinic – Coming Soon to a City
Near You!
Congressman Bob Filner, Chairman
of the House of Representatives Veterans’
Affairs Committee, today announced that the U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded
a contract to Sterling Medical to develop a VA
Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) for
veterans in the Imperial Valley.
The new clinic will be located at
1600 South Imperial Drive, El Centro, California
92243, near the El Centro Regional Medical
Center. The facility is a currently existing
building that will be customized to meet the
needs of the new veterans’ clinic. Construction
is scheduled to start soon, and
the clinic is expected to open
this summer!
This move is the culmination of
an effort, spearheaded by Congressman Filner, to
establish a veterans’ clinic in the Valley. The
goal is to significantly improve the medical
services available to the County’s veterans. As
the planning moves forward, Filner will continue
to meet with veterans to assure that their ideas
and suggestions are incorporated into the
process, so that their healthcare needs will be
met when the clinic opens.
Congressman Filner said, “I am
extremely pleased to announce that the contract
has been signed and the Valley veterans’ clinic
will soon be a reality. For too long, veterans,
many of whom were wounded and have already
sacrificed so much for our Nation, have been
forced to travel four hours roundtrip for
routine medical care—this is unacceptable! We
will open the doors to the clinic in a few
months and begin living up to our promises. I
will monitor the treatment provided at the
clinic to ensure that Valley veterans receive
the care that they deserve.”
The 2,663 square foot clinic will
have two examination rooms, a teleconference
room for remote mental health counseling, and a
reception and waiting room area. The clinic will
offer enhanced services including computer
access in the waiting room to My HealtheVet, a
computer access website for veterans to search
for medical information and refill
prescriptions. The clinic will accommodate a
full-time physician, registered nurse/care
coordinator, licensed vocational nurse,
administrative staff support and a part time
phlebotomist. Routine lab services will also be
available.
Congressman Filner proudly
represents over 150,000 constituents in all of
the Imperial County. As well as fighting for
veterans, he continues to fight to protect the
environment, improve education and healthcare
for all, and create a vibrant local economy for
Imperial Valley residents.
Filner Recognizes Integration of Armed Forces
On February 14, 2008, Congressman
Bob Filner joined 25 of his House colleagues as
an original cosponsor of H.Con.Res. 297,
legislation recognizing the 60th Anniversary of
the integration of the United States Armed
Forces.
On July 26, 1948, President
Truman signed Executive Order 9981, which
established the President’s Committee on
Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the
Armed Services, effectively ordering the
integration of the Armed Services.
“The last all-black unit was not
eliminated until 1954 and it was not until 1963
that the Defense Department took an active role
in elimination of off-base discrimination,”
stated Congressman Filner. “However, President
Truman’s 1948 decision to end segregation in the
Armed Forces was a major step forward towards
the integration of our society.”
Veterans Group Recognizes Filner as “Legislator
of the Year”
Congressman Bob Filner will be formally
recognized as the 2007 “Legislator of the Year”
by the California Association of County Veterans
Service Officers (CACVSO).
Dr. Tom Splitgerber, President of CACVSO, said,
“Normally CACVSO honors a California state
legislator, but we felt that honoring
Congressman Filner was very important because of
the work he does on the national level for
veterans. In his position as Chair of the House
Veterans’ Affairs Committee, he has been
influential in supporting troops returning from
Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the general
veteran population. We know that advocating for
the benefits and healthcare needs of veterans
can be a difficult, but Congressman Filner’s
support has been unwavering!”
CACVSO is dedicated to ensuring that all
veterans “receive the benefits and services to
which they are entitled by law and moral
obligation.” The County Veterans Service Officer
is often the first point of contact for veterans
and their families seeking benefits, and they
provide essential advice and guidance, as they
navigate the Department of Veterans’ Affairs
claims process. CACVSO also identifies
and promotes state and federal policy supportive
of veterans’ rights and issues.
Congressman Filner said, “I am
extremely honored to receive this award.
Advocating for veterans is the most rewarding
job that I can think of, as I know that every
veteran fought and sacrificed to protect our
nation. I will continue to fight to serve the
needs of our Nations veterans, and to ensure
that they receive the respect, honor and care
that they deserve!”
Largest Increase in Veterans’ Health Care in
History Becomes A Reality
Congressional Funding Fulfilling Promises to
American Veterans
Approved by President
Washington, D.C. – Congressman
Bob Filner, Chairman of the House Veterans
Affairs Committee, hailed the President’s
release today of the $3.7 billion in additional
veterans funding provided by Congress – to
provide the largest single funding increase in
the 77-year history of the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
“With this historic veterans
funding, the new Congress has begun to fulfill
our promises to honor American veterans with
both our words and our deeds,” said Congressman
Filner. “After years of neglect in Washington
during a time of war, the 110th Congress will
ensure that our veterans have the resources and
benefits they have earned and that VA Clinics
and Hospitals perform to the highest
standards.”
“Americans were shocked to learn
one year ago of a crisis in care for soldiers
returning from Iraq and Afghanistan,” said
Filner. “America can do better, and this
historic funding increase, paired with our
Wounded Warriors Act reforms, puts us on the
right track for America’s veterans. We are glad
that the Bush Administration finally agreed to
the critical need for the funding, after
dismissing the $3.7 billion that the
Democratic-led Congress added to the President’s
request for 2008.”
With the release of today’s
funds, the 110th Congress has
provided an extra $6.7 billion over last year
for the largest single funding increase in the
77-year history of the Department of Veterans
Affairs:
