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Politics

Outgoing House VA Chairman Jeff Miller Scores One Last Legislative Win

December 7, 2016 - 2:45pm
Jeff Miller
Jeff Miller

As he readies to leave Congress, U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., the outgoing chairman of the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee, scored a legislative final win this week. 

On Tuesday, the U.S. House passed without opposition a bill named after Miller and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Ct., the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. 

The “Jeff Miller and Richard Blumenthal Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act” makes a number of changers including streamlining the disability claims process for veterans and their families; adding two more judges to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in order to clear the backlog of claim cases; extending education benefits for surviving spouses of veterans killed at the start of the War on Terror; expanding adult immunization access for veterans; ensuring the VA makes annual reports on medical centers and treatment; getting more homeless veterans access to medical care; and reforming how medical heath professionals are hired. 

Blumenthal took to the Senate floor to praise the legislation on Tuesday. 

“This omnibus measure with more than 70 provisions is broad and comprehensive in scope and scale,” said Blumenthal. “More veterans, including many at risk of homelessness, will receive the care and benefits they need and deserve. VA hospitals will have better management of mental health counselors and emergency room doctors. Veterans’ families will be helped by extending critical education benefits to surviving members. Work will finally begin to help descendants of veterans exposed to toxic substances. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to pass this critical legislation without delay, and forge ahead to ensure no veteran is left behind.”

“When I took over as chairman in 2015, I promised to do everything I could to see to it that we are never ceasing to make improvements to the care and benefits that our veterans have earned,” said U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., the chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. “We will never play politics with our veterans on my watch, and when we find a problem, we are going to fix it. I am proud of what we have accomplished through this bipartisan package of bills that will improve many aspects of the care and benefits that our veterans receive at the VA. I applaud today’s action by the House, and I hope my colleagues in the Senate will follow suit without delay to pass this important measure.”

Miller ushered the bill along with other measures including legislation mandating VA doctors report if their colleagues are acting unethically and creating a pilot program for software allowing veteran patients to self-schedule through the House on Tuesday. 

“These bipartisan bills are designed to help improve health care, benefits and services for those who are most deserving – our nation’s veterans,” Miller said. “I’m especially proud of the provision in H.R. 6416 that brings transparency and accountability to VA’s often-abused administrative leave system. I applaud my colleagues for passing this meaningful legislation to improve care for our nation’s veterans and honor those who have fallen.” 

Miller has been mentioned as a possible VA secretary in President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. 

 

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Comments

Jeff Miller is a bonafide DISGRACE along with his "cohort", the despicable, self-serving, "disgrace-to-her-race" Rep. Corrine Brown (23 YEARS IN CONGRESS, HAVING DONE NOTHING FOR HER CONSTITUENTS BUT STEAL FROM THEM); She was once indicted for 22 counts of "Mail Fraud soliciting over EIGHT HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS for personal use. SHE AND MILLER stood by in their "Congressional Veterans Affairs Committee" while the Veterans' Administration "BURNED"! And NOW, as a parting empty gesture, Jeff Miller "reaches for a pass" on his long-time complicity in the VA "burning" by new legislation ?!?!? (I think not !... Go to Hell Jeff, and take Corrinne with you into obscurity!!!). [ ALL 24 members of the Congressional Veterans' Affairs Committee deserve ignominious recognition for THEIR PART in the "VA Debacle" and will be recognized in the future for their complicity. But, at the moment only "Chairman" Jeff Miller and the "Ranking Member" Corrine Brown need "wear the mantle of disgrace"...]

Ahh yes, conservatives at their best with full support of the people served, DeJa-Vu: 6 Dec 2016: * House passes sweeping legislation to aid veterans * Then: 6 December 2016: * Lawmakers punt major VA issues to next Congress * After doing nothing, once again, under a Republican controlled VA in Bush cabinet, while two more long wars were created, extremely quickly abandoning the missions and those sent to accomplish after 9/11, 72%plus fully supporting - gallup march 2001, the Poser Patriotic Flags once again wave proudly, still no 'Sacrifice' by those served to pay for!! Then came eight more years of blocking and once again ignoring the issues as they attacked the VA personal, DeJa-Vu, and total obstruction of budget requests, even jobs bills for returning Veterans, as that non republican Executive admin and with it's full Cabinet 'Finally' were building what the people served have always promised, again with them Poser patriotic flags a flyin, but have never fulfilled! As the VA government private contractors, already in and off the peoples treasury, created the media hyped 'scandals', many repeating over and over, needed to continue pushing to fully privatized, for corporate profit and no accountability in regulating, the agency and not just but the government!! The conservative ideology: Like our long time Vietnam and since Veterans, Conservative, Nemesis, one of their experts(?), used to shape their policies, and very highly compensated: * * Sally Satel Still Selling Care for PTSD Veterans is Waste of Money * * There are plenty of others, they've got a ready stable full of go to {experts?}, and plenty of unfunded ignored and denied issues!! * * * How does a Country HONOR It's Fallen, by Their Own 'Sacrifice' in Taking Care of the Brothers and Sisters They Served With!! * * * * DeJa-Vu: “With no shared sacrifices being asked of civilians after Sept. 11", Decades and War From, All Over Again!! * All the, Finally, building what should have always been: > “Why in 2009 were we still using paper?” VA Assistant Secretary Tommy Sowers “When we came in, there was no plan to change that; we’ve been operating on a six month wait for over a decade.” 27 March 2013 , under the Obama admin and Cabinet, with nothing but Conservative and People served attacks will now 'Cease'!! Keeping My Oath: USN All Shore '67-'71 GMG3 Vietnam In Country '70-'71 - Independent**

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