VETERANS

As they return home from battle, our nation's veterans are owed an incredible debt of gratitude. No price can be placed on the sacrifice they provided in service of their country. Yet, their determination to protect our freedo Vets m and security must be met with proper compensation for their service and sacrifice. As your Congressman I will remain committed to securing the security of veterans and their families through adequate compensation for health care and job training. I am determined to continue efforts in the House to honor our veterans by providing them with the assistance they need, especially for those disabled in defense of our nation.

My colleagues and I have taken a number of steps to ensure veterans receive the benefits they so richly deserve. Congress set out to increase maximum life insurance benefits to provide a small but appropriate amount of additional benefits for those veterans who sacrifice their life in battle.

Similarly we have increased funding to provide veterans with the best possible medical care available, including a special fund to strengthen the quality of mental health care and research in that field. Other new insurance benefits have been authorized by the 109th Congress to provide additional financial protection to the families of traumatically injured soldiers.

Mike Sodrel's Record of Achievement on Veterans Issues

Due to the rash of military funerals being disrupted by cold-hearted protestors shouting at the grieving friends and family of the deceased intensifying their sorrow, Congressman Sodrel is a co-sponsor of H.R. 5037 which prohibits protestors from disrupting funerals and eliminates those detestable activities. H.R. 5037 was signed into law by President Bush on May 29, 2006. (P.L. 109-228, Roll Call #129, 5/9/2006)

Disabled veterans deserve the benefits of tax free shopping at military commissaries. To achieve this perk, Congressman Sodrel sponsored H.R. 4121 to allow all disabled veterans to use military commissaries and exchange stores on the same basis as military retirees.

The Department of Defense proposed raising the premiums for Tricare for military retirees that would have economically harmed those who served our country. To prevent this rise in premiums and greater financial burden for soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, Congressman Sodrel co-sponsored HR 4949 to freeze Tricare premiums at their current levels for military retirees. As a House conferee to the Fiscal Year 2007 National Defense Authorization Bill, Congressman Sodrel successfully fought for a provision in the Final Conference Report to prohibit the Tricare premium increases for veterans. (H.R. 5122, Roll Call 510, 9/29/2006)

As soon as it was brought to his attention, Congressman Sodrel circulated a letter to his House Colleagues calling for supplemental funding for VA medical care to cover an almost $1 Billion shortfall leading to the introduction and passage of emergency legislation. The supplemental funding was approved preventing veterans from loosing health benefits. (H.R. 2528, Roll Call 226, 5/26/2005)

Soldiers defending our country also have a family to worry about and how they will take care of love ones should they fall in battle. Congressman Sodrel supported an increase in the maximum life insurance benefits for service members from $250K to $400K. In addition, Congressman Sodrel voted to increase the onetime death gratuity for combat related fatalities from $12K to $100K and is made retroactive to the start of the conflict in Afghanistan. These additional benefits are a small but appropriate response for soldiers who given their life in service to their country. (H.R. 1815, Roll Call 665, 12/19/2005)

Soldiers who have been severely injured in the battlefield face a difficult transition back to regular civilian or military life. To help them cope with the transition, Congressman Sodrel supported a new insurance benefit of up to $100K for soldiers who have suffered traumatic injuries such as loss of limb, sight or other debilitating injuries. This new benefit is an attempt to ease any financial strain on the family of an injured soldier. (H.R. 1815, Roll Call 665, 12/19/2005)

Combat veterans can have mental wounds as much as physical ones after serving in battle. In order to better serve combat veterans, Congressman Sodrel voted to direct the Department of Veterans Affairs to conduct a comprehensive study on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder focusing on improving mental health research, care, and access to information. In addition, Congressman Sodrel supported $2.2 billion in funding for a dedicated pool of resources to provide specialty mental health care to veterans particularly those who are returning from combat areas. (H.R. 5385, Roll Call 176, 5/19/2006.