Representatives from
the New Hampshire Department of the American Legion met with
John on Capitol Hill in February 2006. From L to R: Joyce Flanders,
of New Ipswich; Karyl Horn, of Newmarket; Sandy Neylon, of Twin
Mountain; Roland Patnode, Jr., of Somersworth; Senator Sununu;
Bob Blais, of Goffstown; Mariann Perreault, of Somersworth;
John Neylon, of Twin Mountain. |
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Veterans
John’s detailed and lengthy record of service on
behalf of veterans covers a wide area including health care, housing,
and benefits. A top issue with New Hampshire veterans remains expanded
access to the health care benefits. In June 2008, during a personal
meeting with Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake, John informed
him of the need for a veterans’ center in Keene and firmly underscored
that our state’s veterans deserve a full service veterans’ hospital
or a system that provides full, in-state services. When Granite
State veterans are forced to travel out of the State to receive
medical care, it can be a hardship for them and their families.
Success has been achieved over the past eight years, but more work
remains. The VA has renovated and opened an audiology clinic, added
an eye clinic, and established a state-of-the-art same-day surgical
suite and ophthalmology surgery program. A new women’s clinic
opened in 2003; a primary mental health clinic was created in 2006;
outpatient clinics have opened in Conway and Somersworth; and Senator
Gregg and John helped secure funding for a center in Berlin to provide
all veterans with counseling and outreach services. John will continue
to push for expanded services and the ability of all New Hampshire
veterans to receive treatment from local providers when not available
in Manchester.
Not all wounds are visible, and there exists a significant need
for improvement in the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,
Traumatic Brain Injury, and related mental health issues. With a
comprehensive out reach and counseling program, the New Hampshire
National Guard has taken the lead in the area by instituting a reunion
and reentry program to assist returning soldiers and their families.
Based on the success of the Guard’s program, John has co-sponsored
legislation to create and fund similar programs for Guard members
and their families across the country. As a cosponsor of the Veterans
Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation Act (S. 1233), John also strongly
supports efforts to allow those who suffer from TBI to receive care
closer to home. This legislation would allow these injured veterans
to seek rehabilitative treatment through non-VA providers if they
live an extended distance from a VA hospital or if they VA is unable
to provide the necessary level of care.
On behalf of our disabled veterans, John worked to upgrade eligibility
criteria for housing assistance grants to help them move home from
medical facilities as quickly as possible, and to modify their residences
to better accommodate their disabilities. This dedication resulted
in the passage of the “Veterans’ Housing Opportunity and Benefits
Improvement Act of 2006” – legislation that included John’s initiative
to update eligibility criteria for housing assistance grants to
modify the homes of younger disabled veterans. The President signed
the bill into law on June 15, 2006, and John recently co-sponsored
an amendment to increase housing grants.
John is a longtime supporter of concurrent receipt legislation to
permanently end the 1890’s law requiring the dollar-for-dollar reduction
of retirement pay by disability benefit payments received by military
retirees. Each year, he has supported an amendment to the Department
of Defense Authorization Act to require full concurrent receipt
for all military retirees with a service-connected disability, regardless
of their disability rating. While progress has been made on
this issue over the past few years, John will continue to fight
for passage of full concurrent receipt for disabled military retirees.
Further information regarding United States Department of Veterans
Affairs can be obtained at: www.va.gov
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