March 4, 2009
Noble Warrior Initiatives For the 111th Congress
H.R. 293, Homeless Women Veteran and Homeless Veterans with Children Reintegration Grant Program
This bill would create new grants to homeless veteran providers who offer job skill training and other employment services to homeless women veterans and homeless veterans with children. The bill would require recipients to provide employment counseling, placement assistance, literacy, job skill training and child care services as well as the unique services that are needed for homeless veteran families and women veterans. Those new grants would be part of the Department of Labor Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program.
H.R. 294, Veteran Owned Small Business Promotion Act
This bill would reauthorize the expired small business loan guaranty program within VA. It authorizes VA to guarantee up to $1 billion annually in small business loans to veterans. The bill would limit loans to not more than $500,000 and would give preference to members of the National Guard and Reserves. This bill could help jumpstart the economy while creating new jobs for veterans.
H.R. 295, More Jobs for Veterans Act of 2009
This bill would increase funding for the Department of Labor’s Veteran Work Investment Program (VWIP) to $20 million per year. This program is designed to retrain veterans with skills relevant to today’s job market. It would require that VWIP fund programs directly or through grants or contracts, to meet the training needs of veterans with service-connected disabilities and veterans who have significant barriers to employment. It would also require that VWIP seek to develop and promote maximum job and job training opportunities for such veterans and to inform them about employment, job training, on-the-job training and educational opportunities.
H.R. 296, Armed Forces Disability Retirement Enhancement Act
This bill would modernize the DoD disability retirement system by creating a new system that would replace the complex and burdensome system that currently exists. The bill would allow DOD to retain authority to determine fitness to serve. Following this determination, servicemembers unable to continue service would receive a lifelong annuity from DOD based on rank and years of service with no offset from VA disability payments and would be eligible for TRICARE health and dental coverage. The legislation would also make the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) mandatory for all separating servicemembers.
Disabled veterans who are participants in VA’s vocational rehabilitation and employment training are provided with an allowance to pay for their daily living expenses while they undergo job training. This bill would authorize an increase in the basic living stipend from the current $520 per month to $1,200 per month. The current rate of $520 a month is inadequate for veterans in this program and increasing this amount would lead to greater participation.
H.R. 1293, Disabled Veterans Home Improvement and Structural Alteration Grant Increase Act of 2009
This legislation would increase the maximum amount of the grants for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Home Improvement and Structural Alteration Program, also known as HISA, from $4,100 to $6,800 for service-connected disabled veterans and from $1,200 to $2,000 for non-service connected disabled veterans. This increase is predicated on a three percent increase for each year since the last increase occurred in 1992 (P.L. 102-405), to account for inflation and increased costs of home modifications.