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Denham Bill to Extend VA Benefit Programs Passes House VA CommitteeU.S. Representative Jeff Denham's (R-Turlock) bill to extend crucial veterans service programs, the Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2014, today passed the full House Veterans Affairs' Committee. The bill, H.R. 5404, would extend a number of programs benefitting female veterans, homeless veterans and student veterans and other authorities given to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pertaining to health care, housing and transportation. “This bill will ensure that our vets continue receiving the care and benefits they so clearly deserve,” said Rep. Denham. “It will support Central Valley veterans by ensuring VSOs can keep helping them get to and from their medical appointments. I look forward to seeing this bill enacted into law as quickly as possible.” The Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act extends the authority of the VA to make grants to Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) in order to provide transportation to highly rural veterans. This program benefits veterans in the Central Valley who currently have to travel 90 miles or more to Palo Alto for their medical appointments. The bill would also continue the authorization for homeless veteran housing and reintegration programs, which have helped to significantly reduce the number of homeless veterans. This bill extends key reporting requirements for the Department of Defense (DoD) and the VA for veterans’ health care records. This will ensure that the two departments keep working together to develop Integrated Electronic Health Records (iEHRs) so that important health information does not get lost when a servicemember leaves active duty. Additionally, Rep. Denham’s bill would make technical changes to Public Law 113-146, the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014, which was signed into law on August 7, 2014. Full text of the bill is available here. Downloads» [[{"fid":"294","view_mode":"full","fields":{"format":"full"},"type":"media","attributes":{"class":"file media-element file-full"}}]] |