The office of Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., issued the following news release:

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), Armed Services Committee Ranking Member John McCain (R-Ariz.), and senior Armed Services Committee Member John Warner (R-Va.) today hailed passage of the Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act, which addresses shortfalls in the care of our wounded warriors. The bill, which was cosponsored by a bipartisan group of 51 senators including Committee on Veterans' Affairs Ranking Member Larry Craig (R-ID), was approved by the Senate by unanimous consent.

"Our wounded warriors deserve the best care and support that we can muster, and the American people rightly insist on no less," Sen. Levin said. "This bill lays out a path for the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to address shortfalls in the care of our wounded warriors while they remain in military service, during the transition from the military to the VA, and after this transition while in the care of the VA."

"I was delighted to work with Chairman Levin, Ranking Member McCain, and Committee Member John Warner on this important legislation," Sen. Akaka said. "They should be commended for crafting this piece of comprehensive legislation and getting it passed by the Senate so quickly. After five years of war, it's about time that DoD and VA developed a comprehensive policy for transitioning our wounded warriors from active duty to veterans status. This legislation is a direct outcome of the close collaboration between the Veterans' Affairs Committee and the Armed Services Committee. Our action today represents true collaboration between the two Committees - a model for how the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense should be working together."

"I commend the Senate for the passage of this legislation which will focus on fixing the problems that currently exist within the veterans' health care system," said Sen. McCain. "It is our responsibility to ensure that wounded members of the Armed Forces receive the highest level of medical care available and the benefits they deserve, and I was pleased to work with Chairman Levin, Senator Warner and others, in drafting these important provisions."

Sen. Warner said, "Providing for our men and women in uniform, and their families, is our highest priority on the Armed Services Committee, and this bill will provide a comprehensive approach to caring for those, who through their courage, have sacrificed greatly for our country. Our nation owes these brave men and women nothing less than the finest possible care."

Problems with the care of America's wounded warriors were dramatized in a series of articles in the Washington Post in February regarding conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and in a subsequent joint hearing by the Senate Committees on Armed Services and Veterans Affairs. The Wounded Warrior bill approved today would address many of the problems highlighted in the articles and hearings.

Some of the bill's provisions would:

* End the inconsistent ratings for the same disabilities by the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA);

* Provide for a seamless transition from DOD to VA care by requiring the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to jointly develop a comprehensive policy on the care and management of service members' transition;

* Authorize $50 million for improved diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of members with Traumatic Brian Injury (TBI) or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD);

* Authorize medically retired service members with disability ratings of 50% or higher to receive the active duty medical benefit for three years after the member leaves active duty;

* Authorize military and VA health care providers to provide urgent and emergency medical care and counseling to family members on invitational travel orders;

* Extend the period of eligibility for VA health care for combat veterans of the Persian Gulf War or future hostilities from two years to five years after discharge or release;

* Establish a DOD and VA Interagency Program Office to develop and implement a joint electronic health record;

* Require the Secretary of Defense to establish standards for housing for military out-patients and for military hospitals and clinics and specialty medical care facilities;

* Increase the minimum severance pay to one year's basic pay for those separated for disabilities incurred in a combat zone or combat-related operations, and six months' basic pay for all others; and

* Eliminate the requirement that severance pay be deducted from disability compensation for disabilities incurred in a combat zone or combat-related operations.