Image Area Legislative Alert #14-1: Toxic Exposure Research and Military Support Act / Gulf War Health Research Reform Act Your immediate action is requested in order to gather support for HR 4816 /S 1602 & HR 4261, the Toxic Exposure Research and Military Family Support Act of 2013/14 and the Gulf War Health Research Reform Act of 2014 are important pieces of legislation that will research, diagnose and treat health conditions related to toxic exposures while serving in the Armed Forces. It’s time for this country to hold up its end of the bargain by doing everything possible to take care of the healthcare needs of our Gulf War veterans. Please help our veterans and follow this link * TAKE ACTION * and request that your representives co-sponsor HR 4816 /S 1602 & HR 4261. Summary HR 4816/S 1602 Requires the VA to select a medical center to serve as the national center for the diagnosis, treatment and research of health conditions of descendants of individuals exposed to toxic substances while serving in the armed forces Allows the center to diagnose and treat, without charge, patients with health conditions related to toxic exposures while serving in the armed forces. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense or other federal agencies to make available the evidence of individuals exposed to toxic substances while serving in the armed forces Authorizes reimbursement for the reasonable costs of travel to the center for treatment Summary HR 4261 Establish the RAC as an independent committee within the VA with its own budget; Require the that the majority of the RACs members be appointed by the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees; Strengthen the RACs ability to review research and studies as well as publish reports related to Gulf War Illness (GWI); Expresses the sense of Congress that VA should contract with the Institute of Medicine to conduct several Gulf War studies and reports previously ordered by Congress, which were not conducted or weren’t conducted in accordance with Congress’ direction; Require the VA to ensure that research conducted on this disease be referred to as “Gulf War Illness” Require that Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports on the health effects of veteran toxic exposures, consider animal as well as human studies, as Congress has previously ordered, to better understand the causes and how best to treat our afflicted veterans The Issue Members of our armed forces are often placed in dangerous and toxic environments. Exposure to toxic substances often leads to the development of medical conditions that can leave victims crippled and cause them to live a life of pain and in debt. The burden of high medical bills to treat conditions brought on by toxic exposure related to military service should not fall on our veterans and their families. Recommendation In acknowledgement for the tremendous sacrifices made by our veterans and their families, we support the Toxic Exposure Research and Military Family Support Act of 2013/14 so these crippling medical conditions caused by military service can be researched, diagnosed and treated.
Posted on: Fri, 27 Jun 2014 01:39:56 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015