Research - Rehabilitation - Re-Employment

Sgt. Shaft 10/29/2009

Dear Sgt. Shaft,
I have a question regarding burial for my wife and myself in a Veterans Affairs cemetery when the time should come. I served four years active duty and two years inactive duty in a Navy fighter squadron during the Vietnam War from 1967-71. My question is, what happens if my wife should pass before me? We want to be assured we will be laid to rest together. Is there any pre-plans or signing up to do? Thank you in advance.

- Ray R., Florida

Dear Ray,

The same procedures are followed if the veteran's eligible spouse or dependent predeceases the veteran. In most cases, one gravesite is provided for the burial of all eligible family members and a single headstone or marker is provided. When both spouses are veterans, two gravesites and two headstones or markers may be provided if requested.

Here's a statement found on theVA website:

"Gravesites in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) national cemeteries cannot be reserved in advance; however, reservations made prior to 1962 will be honored. Families are encouraged to prepare in advance by discussing cemetery options, collecting the veteran's military information including discharge papers, and by contacting the cemetery where burial is desired."

Shaft Notes:
After the recent unanimous approval of Congress, legislation to secure timely and predictable funding for the veterans' health care system has received the President Obama's signature.

Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel K. Akaka, Hawaii Democrat chief sponsor of the Senate bill, applauded his colleagues.

Mr. Akaka introduced the measure in the Senate with the backing of leading veterans service organizations, shepherded the bill through the committee, secured the backing of a majority of the Senate and negotiated the final version that went to the White House.

The legislation will aid in "securing timely, predictable, and transparent funding for the veterans' health care system, for the millions of veterans who rely on VA for care and the nation that is indebted to them. I applaud my colleagues in the House and Senate for supporting this important measure, and I thank the veterans service organizations that came together to help us bring this bill to the president's desk," Mr. Akaka said.

The Senate passed the Veterans' Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009 by unanimous vote on Oct. 19. However, what is very disappointing is that Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, has placed a hold on some other important pending veterans legislation, saying that he wants the costs to be offset in the budget.

Among those most affected by the hold is the Caregiver and Veterans Health Services Act of 2009.

An increasing number of severely injured veterans are returning home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As advances in medicine allow more of the severely injured to be saved on the battlefield, VA confronts the issue of how to care for these young heroes.

The most severely injured will need caregivers in the home. This is especially true in rural areas, where health care services are often limited, and the burden of caring for the severely injured falls on veterans' families. Caregivers shouldering this burden are often unable to maintain full-time employment, limiting their income and ability to obtain health insurance. Caregivers who do remain employed often give up opportunities for career advancement to care for their family members, while their employers sustain millions of dollars in losses related to employee absences and decreased productivity.

This bill is a bipartisan approach - introduced by Mr. Akaka and co-sponsored by ranking Republican member Richard M. Burr of North Carolina. It is supported by Wounded Warrior Project, Disabled American Veterans, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, and many others.

The Caregiver and Veterans Health Services Act of 2009, as described in Senate Report 110-80, would provide caregivers of veterans with health care, counseling, support and a stipend. It also expands services in rural areas; and ensures that veterans who are catastrophically disabled or who need emergency care in the community are not inappropriately charged for those services.

The legislation forges a new paradigm of long-term care for severely wounded troops - one that acknowledges and fully supports the vital role of the family caregiver in any successful rehabilitation plan.

The bill provides for family caregivers by:

• Fulfilling the VA's obligation to care for the nation's wounded veterans by providing their caregivers with counseling, support and a living stipend.
• Providing health care to the family caregivers of injured veterans.
• Requiring independent oversight of the caregiver program.

The bill reaches out to rural veterans by:

• Expanding the VA's authority to provide recruitment and retention incentives so that VA can recruit high-quality health care providers.
• Increasing the oversight of care purchased in the community by mandating financial incentives for providers who maintain high-quality standards.
• Expanding the VA's telemedicine program, and its ability to collaborate with the Indian Health Service and community organizations to provide medical services, including mental health care, in rural communities.

The bill also removes barriers to emergency care and care for the catastrophically disabled by:

• Eliminating copayments for veterans who are catastrophically disabled.
• Allowing the VA to reimburse veterans for emergency care received at non-VA facilities.

Veterans and their families should not be held hostage by one senator as they continue to make sacrifices for the country.

Kudos toSen. Jim Webb, Virginia Democrat, who introduced legislation to recognize the marriage of fallen U.S. Marine Sgt. Michael Ferschke and his Japanese wife who were married by proxy while Sgt. Ferschke was deployed in Iraq. The Ferschkes' marriage is formally recognized by the military but not the Department of Homeland Security, leaving the immigration status of Mrs. Ferschke and their 8-month-old son in jeopardy.

Send letters to Sgt. Shaft, c/o John Fales, P.O. Box 65900, Washington, D.C. 20035-5900; fax to 301-622-3330; call 202-257-5446 or email sgtshaft@bavf.org.

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