The President Signs into Law Two of My Amendments Benefiting Military Families and Indy Due to Receive Additional Mobile Vet Center -- January 5, 2012
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Thank you for reading theCarson Courier. For additional information, please visit my website at https://www.carson.house.gov.
In this week's Carson Courier:
· President Obama Signs into Law Two of My Amendments Benefiting Military Families
· Department of Veterans Affairs Expanding Mobile Vet Centers
President Obama Signs into Law Two of My Amendments Benefiting Military Families
Last weekend, President Barack Obama signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, a bill that includes two amendments I authored.
My first amendment requires the Department of Defense to consider health records from past deployments and military activity during its mandatory pre- and post-deployment mental health assessments. Under the current law, screenings from past deployments are not shared between units, which can prevent physicians from fully understanding the mental health challenges facing deployed service men and women. The Veterans Administration (VA) provides first-rate medical treatment to service members who are wounded in combat. Regrettably, the same cannot be said for those suffering from invisible wounds. Given the extraordinary sacrifices made by our brave men and women, they deserve to receive the best possible mental health care, where and when they need it. I am confident that providing more comprehensive mental health screenings will prevent hundreds, perhaps even thousands of senseless tragedies.
My second amendment helps put military families on a path towards long-term financial stability when they return to civilian life. Under this legislation, mandatory pre-separation counseling sessions will include information on budgets, saving, credit, and mortgages and will help veterans and their spouses craft a long-term financial plan.
Our men and women in uniform have served our nation bravely, both at home and abroad. Unfortunately, many veterans have never had the opportunity to find reasonably priced housing, develop long-term budgets, or save for their futures. This puts both veterans and their families at a significant risk of foreclosure and unmanageable debt. They deserve to be better prepared for the demands of civilian life.
I'm proud to have authored these bills, and I believe they offer strong improvements to the programs that serve our military families. Congress needs to continually find ways to build up and protect our veterans, and I am resolved to keep fighting on their behalf.
For more information, please click here.
Department of Veterans Affairs Expands Mobile Vet Centers
More than 190,000 veterans and families made over 1.3 million visits to VA Vet Centers over the past year. But for those living in rural and underserved communities, access to VA Vet Centers can be limited. The Department of Veterans Affairs is addressing this issue by investing in twenty additional Mobile Vet Centers, including one in Indianapolis, to expand access to readjustment counseling services for Veterans and their families, wherever they are needed. This significant investment demonstrates the VA's commitment to increasing access to health care and benefits for veterans and their families. The vehicles also serve as part of the VA emergency response program.
These new Mobile Vet Centers will expand the existing fleet of 50 Mobile Vet Centers already in service providing outreach and counseling services to our veterans and their families. I am confident that this investment by the VA will be extremely beneficial to veterans and their families not only in the 7th Congressional District, but throughout the entire state of Indiana.
For more information about Vet Centers, please click here.
Thank you for reading theCarson Courier. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts and concerns. For more information, visit my website at https://www.carson.house.gov, my Congressional Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CongressmanAndreCarsonand follow me on Twitter @RepAndreCarson. I value your views and your input, which help me better represent the people of Indiana's 7thDistrict.Sincerely,
André Carson
Member of Congress