The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee this week advanced a number of legislative proposals to better serve veterans – including priorities championed by U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) to strengthen veterans benefits and services.
“The legislation approved by the committee continues our commitment to fulfilling the promise our country made to honor veterans’ sacrifice and service. Improving how we take care of them is a bipartisan priority and I’m proud to support policies that will meet the needs of the men and women who served in uniform,” Boozman, a senior member of the committee said.
The committee advanced Boozman-backed bills that include:
Making Advances in Mammography and Medical Options (MAMMO) for Veterans Act – Legislation that would strengthen and expand access to high-quality breast cancer screening and life-saving care for veterans. The MAMMO for Veterans Act will provide Arkansas veterans with access to cancer treatment through National Cancer Institute partnerships that currently do not exist in the state.
Strengthening Oversight for Veterans Act of 2021 – Legislation that would provide VA’s Office of Inspector General the authority to subpoena testimony from former VA employees who have left federal service, former contractor personnel who performed work for the VA, or other potentially relevant individuals during the course of its inspections, reviews and investigations. This legislation would enable the VA to improve transparency and accountability to conduct thorough investigations into failures like those that led to death and harm to veterans at the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks as a result of an impaired radiologist.
Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Training Act of 2021- Legislation that would provide training to VA employees on reporting waste, fraud and abuse in coordination with the Office of Inspector General. This would ensure VA staff are trained on how to report nefarious and bad behavior to their chain of command to prevent bad situations from getting worse in the future.
Brian Neuman Department of Veterans Affairs Clothing Allowance Improvement Act of 2021 – Legislation that aims to reduce the annual claim filing burden for veterans who use prosthetics and would make the application and review process of VA for clothing allowance claims submitted by veterans easier and more efficient.
