OPENING STATEMENT of Senator Daniel K. Akaka

Chairman, Committee on Veterans' Affaris, United State Senate

Hearing on Pending Benefits Legislation

Wednesday, May 9, 2007, 9:30 a.m.

The ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have brought the needs of veterans and their families to the forefront and, as a result, there are many bills on the agenda. Many of these bills focus on the needs of the highest priority veterans - those with service-connected disabilities. Recognition of the special needs of these veterans is a necessary measure of gratitude afforded to those veterans whose lives were irrevocably altered by their service to this country.

There are also a number of bills before us this morning that we have seen in prior Congresses and others that are new. These may reflect the change in leadership in the Senate. My belief is that the Committee should look at all items except for those that have had no support in previous years. I am pleased that so many have taken an active interest in the well-being of our Nation's finest citizens.

There are several bills on the agenda that I introduced. Below is a summary of their content:

First, S. 423, Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2007, which I introduced with my good friend and ranking minority member, Senator Craig, and five other members of this Committee on January 29, would increase the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans, among other benefits, effective December 1, 2007.

Many of these more than three million recipients of those benefits depend upon these tax-free payments not only to provide for their own basic needs, but those of their spouses, children and parents as well. Without an annual COLA increase, these veterans and their families would see the value of their hard-earned benefits slowly diminish, and we, as a Congress, would be in dereliction of our duty to ensure that those who sacrificed so much for this country receive the benefits and services to which they are entitled.

Disbursement of disability compensation to our nation's veterans constitutes one of the core missions of the Department of Veterans Affairs. It is a necessary measure of gratitude afforded to those veterans whose lives were irrevocably altered by their service to this country.

Second, S. 1163, Blinded Veterans Paired Organ Act of 2007, which I introduced along with three other members of this Committee, would amend the eligibility requirements for two specific benefits provided to veterans with a service-connected disability due to blindness.

I have also introduced two bills intended to address needs of veterans with respect to various insurance programs:

S. 643, the Disabled Veterans Insurance Act of 2007, would increase the maximum amount of supplemental life insurance available to totally disabled veterans, under the Service Disabled Veterans Insurance program, from $20,000 to $40,000, bringing the total value of this benefit for totally disabled veterans up to $50,000.

S. 1315, the Disabled Veterans Insurance Improvement Act of 2007, would increase the maximum amount of Veterans' Mortgage Life Insurance that a service-connected disabled veteran may purchase from the current cap of $90,000 to $200,000. This provision would ensure that this important benefit, that helps secure the financial future of many veterans and their families, keeps pace with changes in the economy. This legislation would also establish a new life insurance program for disabled veterans that provides up to a maximum of $50,000 in level-premium term life insurance coverage. Importantly this program would be based on the 2001 Commissioners Standard Ordinary Basic Table of Mortality rather than the 1941 mortality table that the Service-Disabled Veterans Insurance program is based upon.

Finally, S. 1215 would make a number of small but necessary changes in existing laws relating to education and employment. It would raise the funding cap for State Approving Agencies and update various reporting requirements for employment and unemployment statistics collected by the Department of Labor. In addition it would provide for a waiver of the residency requirement for State Veterans Employment and Training directors and a two-year extension of a rate increase for on-the-job and apprenticeship training.

As is the case every Session, the biggest hurdle for implementation of these bills into law is cost. I am working to find appropriate offsets within the Committee's jurisdiction.

An mp3 audio file of this statement can be found at: http://demradio.senate.gov/actualities/akaka/akaka070509.mp3

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