Army News, news from Iraq, - Army Times

Coburn lifts hold on vet benefits bill

One senator’s hold delaying consideration of a veterans caregiver and health benefits bill has been lifted.

A new agreement will allow a final vote on S 1963 after senators consider an amendment that would pay for stipends, health care, counseling and other benefits for people taking care of severely disabled veterans by cutting the U.S. contribution to the United Nations.

As a result of the agreement, the Senate is now expected to take up and pass the bill this week, allowing House and Senate negotiators to begin work on a compromise measure that could become law this year The U.N. amendment will be offered by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., the person who since Memorial Day has prevented the Senate from taking up veterans legislation because he thinks it is wrong to pass new benefits without paying for them.

Coburn’s hold on the Veterans Caregiver and Omnibus Health Benefits Act of 2009 came to a head before Veterans Day, when Senate Democratic leaders were trying to get the bill passed. Coburn wouldn’t allow the bill to proceed if he wasn’t allowed to offer an amendment, a position that drew sharp criticism from major veterans groups.

The agreement announced Tuesday by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., allots 3½ hours for Senate debate on the veterans’ bill, a half hour for general debate and the rest of the time to debate Coburn’s amendment.

The amendment, which Coburn formally filed Tuesday, attempts to do two things.

First, it requires the State Department to transfer money to the Veterans Affairs Department to pay for the new family caregiver benefits, which have a $3.7 billion price tag over five years. Money would be drawn from the account for contributions to international organizations.

Second, the amendment applies the caregiver benefits to all generations of veterans. The bill limits benefits to caregivers of people who have served on active-duty since Sept. 11, 2001, something Coburn argues is discriminatory to other severely disabled veterans.

Lifting of the hold came one day after Coburn tried but failed to get the 2010 veterans appropriations bill modified to pay for the new caregiver benefits. By a 69-24 vote, the Senate rejected a Coburn amendment to send the military construction and veterans’ appropriations bill back to the Senate Appropriations Committee so that money being allocated to military construction projects not requested by the Defense Department could be spent, instead, on new veterans benefits.