S. 1190 and H.R. 3579
“The Blinded Veterans Continuum of Care Act of 2005,” or H.R. 3579, increases the number of Blind Rehabilitation Outpatient Specialists (BROS) over a three-year period.
Bulletin readers may remember that the Senate passed S. 1190 in December. This bill included the authorization of 35 new BROS positions over three years. Nevertheless, the House version has not even been scheduled for a hearing although it has 32 co-sponsors. Our frustration grows by the week over the fact that the House VA Committee is not taking any action on this important bill. We are disappointed that thousands of blinded veterans cannot receive cost-effective outpatient local services at 35 medical centers that currently have no BROS on staff.
Legislative Alerts Revived
Through the generous assistance and effective preliminary groundwork performed by Lyle Martin of the Wisconsin Regional Group, we have resumed the distribution of legislative email updates to BVA members interested in national veterans issues that affect blinded veterans. Initially, the updates will be distributed weekly.
Please send an email message to the Legislative Alerts volunteer moderators at bvlistmaster@gmail.com to be added to the group’s “Announcements-Only” list. We request interested parties to provide the following information in their transmission: first and last name, city and state, contact phone number and email address, regional group membership and any position held within the group.
Any BVA member can ask to be added to the alerts group. Regional groups are encouraged to appoint a “Legislative Advocacy Alert Liaison” to help coordinate local legislative efforts when appropriate. Once members have contacted the volunteer moderators at the above email address, they will receive a response indicating that they have been added to BVA-Alert. At that point, no further action is necessary.
I very much look forward to working with BVA members on a grassroots level in an effort to improve veterans health care. If there are members in your regional groups who do not have computers or who have not had Computer Access Training, please share the information with them through other means whenever possible. Your regional group may wish to create a “phone tree” or some other creative procedure through which our membership can become better informed regarding the issues affecting them.
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