By Patrick Yoest, CQ Staff

A key lawmaker announced his opposition Wednesday to using a White House proposal on treatment of combat-injured veterans as a replacement for "wounded warriors" legislation already in conference.

The White House on Oct. 16 submitted draft legislation to Congress to implement the recommendations of a commission headed by Republican former Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas (1969-96), and former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala. The commission studied ways to improve health care and benefits for combat-injured veterans.

Without the existing legislation as a vehicle, passage of the Dole-Shalala recommendations may have to wait until next year.

Congress has been at work on legislation: The Senate passed a version (HR 1538) on July 25; the House passed its bill March 28. The defense authorization bill (HR 1585), which the Senate passed Oct. 1, also includes provisions for wounded veterans.

Senate Veterans' Affairs Chairman Daniel K. Akaka, D-Hawaii, said in a statement Wednesday that he saw "no basis" for combining the commission proposals and the bills: "Whatever legislation is finally submitted by the White House will not have my support as a replacement for the Wounded Warrior legislation that is now pending in the defense authorization conference."

Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs panel, said Wednesday that he would prefer to deal with the White House proposal separately because it had not been properly vetted yet.

Filner said last week that he intended to draft additional legislation that would encompass recommendations of both the Dole-Shalala commission and the congressionally mandated Veterans' Disability Benefits Commission.

President Bush has pushed to move the proposal quickly. At his Wednesday news conference, he said: "Congress should consider this legislation promptly so that those injured while defending our freedom can get the quality care they deserve."

The Veterans Affairs Department (VA) said in a statement: "We look forward to working with Congress to promptly pass the initiatives announced by the president and will continue to work with members on the legislation currently in conference."

Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., said Oct. 16 that conferees on the defense authorization bill "will examine the provisions contained in the White House proposal to see if they can be incorporated into a conference report."

Akaka, however, also took aim at portions of the proposal that call for a redrawing of the VA's disability benefits system. In his statement, Akaka said he would "unequivocally oppose any proposal that would abdicate the role and responsibility of the Congress for dealing with the VA compensation system by giving that task to the VA secretary."

A White House statement released Oct. 16 said that a restructuring of the VA's disability benefits systems would take place after a seven-month study. Such changes, according to the statement, would require "legislation implementing VA disability payment rates and regulations updating VA's disability rating schedules." The VA secretary would promulgate the regulations.

The White House proposal suggests that the system should be changed to "provide for an immediate transition payment, loss of earnings, and quality of life payment."

Akaka said that promulgating new regulations would be "inconceivable" without the appointment of a new VA secretary. Gordon Mansfield, who previously served as the department's deputy secretary, has served as acting VA secretary since Oct. 1.

Retired Lt. Gen. James Terry Scott, who chaired the Disability Benefits Commission, on Wednesday also cautioned against a quick overhaul of the system. "I'm only going by what I've observed, which is that it takes time for things," Scott said.

The commission headed by Scott has called for an interim increase in disability benefits of "up to 25 percent" until a complete overhaul is drawn up.

Source: CQ Today
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