FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, August 14, 2008 CONTACT: Michael Houston, IAVA (212) 982-9699 or
Landmark Week for Iraq
and Afghanistan Veterans
Legislation in Washington Flurry of New Legislation Addresses the Immediate Needs of New Veterans
NEW YORK - On the heels of the
historic passage of the new GI Bill, several additional pieces of important
veterans legislation swept through Capitol Hill last week. Iraq
and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the nation's first and largest Iraq and Afghanistan veterans group,
strongly endorsed several of the bills that passed in Congress before lawmakers
left for recess.
"On the heels of passing a historic new GI Bill, Congress
showed even more support for Iraq
and Afghanistan veterans," said
Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of
America (IAVA). "From protecting
veterans against foreclosure to extending the mental health benefits available
to servicemembers' families, lawmakers addressed some of the most urgent issues
facing America's
newest generation of heroes. The
mainstream media may not cover these developments, but Congress deserves some
credit for putting these critical points on the board for veterans."
One
of the bills that passed last week was the Veterans Education Tuition Support
(VETS) Act. The VETS Act, originally
drafted by IAVA's Chief Legislative Counsel Patrick Campbell as part of his law
school thesis, expands the protections for members of the military who deploy
when they are in school. The VETS Act requires schools to provide tuition
refunds for unfinished courses and to reenroll servicemembers after their
deployments.
Another bill, called the College Opportunity and
Affordability Act, which borrowed language from the VETS Act regarding
requiring mandatory reenrollment for returning servicemembers, was passed by
the House and Senate last week. It is
currently awaiting the President's signature.
"The VETS Act helps level the playing field between student
warriors and those who are not serving in the military," said Campell. "Its
passage is a major victory for the men and women who are both serving their
country and working to complete their educations."
Additional pieces of important veterans legislation that moved
forward last week include:
Protection
for veteran homeowners during the current mortgage crisis
A
fully-funded and timely budget for the Veterans Administration with a
much-needed increase of $4.6 billion
Changes
to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act that will allow deployed troops to
suspend contracts, such as cell phones
An
extension of mental health benefits to the family members of veterans
To arrange an
interview with IAVA Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff, Chief Legislative
Counsel Patrick Campbell, or any other IAVA member veterans, please contact
Michael Houston at (212) 982-9699 or
.
Iraq and
Afghanistan Veterans of America is the nation's first and largest group for
veterans of the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan. A non-profit and nonpartisan organization,
IAVA represents more than 100,000 veteran members and civilian supporters in
all 50 states. For more information,
please visit www.iava.org.
