Two bills offered by Rep. Paul Cook (R-Calif.) that would increase medical claims rights and economic opportunities for American veterans recently moved through House Veterans’ Affairs subcommittees.
Cook’s proposed bill, the Prioritizing Urgent Claims for Veterans Act, was forwarded favorably out of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs on Wednesday as part of an omnibus bill sponsored by Chairman Jon Runyan (R-N.J.).
The Prioritizing Urgent Claims for Veterans Act would require the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to give priority status to veterans who file claims and meet at least one criteria of a series defined in the legislative language. The criteria includes being older than 70, being terminally ill, having a life-threatening illness, being a former POW, being seriously injured or having claims that are being reviewed again in relation to a previously denied claim relating to military sexual trauma.
Cook’s Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program Reauthorization Act was forwarded favorably out of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity on Thursday. The bill would renew a program started in 1987 to assist veterans in getting off the streets. The program provides grant opportunities to organizations assisting homeless veterans in job training, enabling them to reenter the workforce. The organizations that would receive funding provide services including job placement, training and development, as well as career counseling and resume preparation. They also provide support services, such as clothing distribution, transportation assistance and medical and substance abuse treatment.
“The sad reality is that many of the men and women living on the streets are veterans,” Cook said. “This Reauthorization Act will provide them with a better chance to succeed. They bravely served our country and it’s important that we help them get to a place where they can support themselves.”