O'Fallon Veterans Commission urges members to review federal 'To Take Care of American Veterans Act'

The presiding officer told the O'Fallon Veterans Commission on July 20 that a large federal package, which he referred to as the "To Take Care of American Veterans Act," bundles roughly 62 smaller bills and is slated for votes in the House and Senate this fall. He read bill numbers aloud during the meeting as "H.R. 9237" and "S. 4744" and urged commissioners to research the bills and contact their congressional representatives.

He said the package includes several named measures — which he listed as the Richard Star Act, the Sherry Bailey Act, the Eric Edmonson Veterans Benefits Act, the Love Lives On Act and the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Suicide Prevention Act — and described them as expanding benefits for surviving spouses, military families and suicide-prevention programs. "We know that 95% of the veterans out there support the Richard Star Act," he said.

The presiding officer also flagged a specific area of disagreement among veterans organizations: a provision he cited as "section 108," which concerns tinnitus and sleep apnea. He said the Department of Veterans Affairs had already signaled that rating classifications for tinnitus and sleep apnea may be reduced regardless of how the package passes and that veterans groups worry about whether funding will remain within the VA system. "Our problem is, we cannot be in an all-or-nothing situation," he said. "If we cannot come to an agreement, we might wind up with nothing."

Commissioners asked how to locate the legislation; the presiding officer recommended searching the bill numbers online and reading the text to be informed before contacting representatives. He encouraged commissioners to "do your own research and see which properly fits for you," and said he would continue outreach on Capitol Hill.