Dependable Employment and Living Improvements for Veterans Economic Recovery Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 7105, the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020.
Let me start by thanking my good friend, the ranking member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, a former chairman of this committee, for his service to this country, not just as a veteran himself, but also leading this committee and being a tireless champion of the men and women who have served our country in uniform, through all of his accomplishments on this committee.
I am so grateful for what you have done for our veterans and, on a personal note, as a mentor to me and so many others, leading the way, showing your patriotism. You are going to be missed here, but we appreciate your friendship.
I am grateful, Mr. Speaker, that the two bipartisan bills I introduced this Congress are included in this comprehensive veterans package: an amended version of my bill, H.R. 7795, the Veterans Benefits Fairness and Transparency Act of 2020, which I introduced with my Democratic colleague, Representative Elaine Luria from Virginia; and H.R. 5772, the Veteran STEM Scholarship Enhancement Act, which I introduced and later worked on with Representative Lauren Underwood from Illinois.
My bill, the Veterans Benefits Fairness and Transparency Act of 2020 will make it easier for veterans to file their disability claims by requiring the VA to restore the availability of disability benefits questionnaires, or DBQs, to their publicly available website so that a veteran can use their own personal healthcare provider when filing for benefits. This bill also cuts red tape and bureaucracy by preventing a veteran's claim from being rejected just because the VA changed a line on a form.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my constituent, retired Master Gunnery Sergeant Kenneth Gilliam, a 30-year Marine Corps veteran, and Kentucky Sixth District Veterans Coalition member retired Chief Warrant Officer Denny Hart, who were the inspiration for this legislation.
My other bill, the Veteran STEM Scholarship Enhancement Act allows the VA to more quickly process veteran scholarship applications for the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship by lifting the requirement for priority groups among eligible veterans applying for the scholarship unless the VA determines that it is nearing the scholarship's yearly funding limit.
This bill also prevents the Rogers STEM scholarship from counting toward the 48-month limit a veteran can--
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Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, this bill also prevents the Rogers STEM scholarship from counting toward the 48-month limit a veteran can receive GI benefits.
I have seen veterans in my district in central and eastern Kentucky, especially at Eastern Kentucky University, take advantage of this important scholarship.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud of my vote for this package that delivers for our Nation's veterans. I thank, again, my colleagues for working in a bipartisan way to shepherd this very important package of veteran advocacy legislation to fruition.
Once again, I thank my good friend for his distinguished service in this body, Dr. Phil Roe. Thank you, sir. It has been an honor serving with you on this subcommittee especially.
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