The House of Representatives recently passed several measures aimed at embellishing veterans’ benefits. The package must be approved by the Senate before it would be sent to the White House for President Obama to sign into law. The bills are:
* H.R. 2349, which would hold Veterans Benefits Administration officials accountable for processing the compensation and benefits claims that veterans submit to the Department of Veterans Affairs;
* H.R. 1263, which would protect the surviving spouses of service members who die in the line of duty from foreclosure or property seizure because of inability to meet financial obligations;
* H.R. 1025, which bestows veteran status upon any person entitled to receive military retirement for reserve service, regardless of age. The provision would not entitle such persons to any new benefits.
* H.R. 2074, which requires the VA to track and reports incidents of sexual assaults at its facilities thoroughly, and improve rehabilitative services for veterans who sustained traumatic brain injuries in the line of duty.
