Ka`u News Briefs Monday, Dec. 14, 2015

U.S. SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS Committee approved two of Sen. Mazie Hirono’s proposals to improve services for veterans and their families as part of S. 425, the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Programs Reauthorization Act. Hirono’s provisions expedite the Department of Veterans Affairs survivors benefits claims process and improve VA practices to recruit physicians.

Bobby Gomes sings and plays for the parade. Photo by Julia Neal

Miss Ka`u Coffee Maria Miranda and friends greet parade watchers. Photo by Cheryl Weaver

      “The Homeless Veterans Reintegration Programs Reauthorization Act makes progress on ensuring that veterans and their families receive the care and services that they have earned,” Hirono said. “My provisions will eliminate cumbersome paperwork from the survivors’ claims process and ensure that VA physicians have more flexible schedules like their private sector colleagues, making VA service more attractive for health professionals. I look forward to working with my colleagues to see this bill through the full Senate.”
      S.425 is a wide-ranging omnibus bill that also expands support for homeless veterans, restores GI Bill benefits for those affected by closure of educational institutions such as Heald College, supports caregivers and improves VA health care’s pain management guidelines.

Parade sponsor Ed Olson confronts a Christmas Icon. Photo by Julia Neal

      The bill incorporates two bills authored by Hirono, S. 1450, the Department of Veterans Affairs Emergency Staffing Recruitment and Retention Act, and S. 1451, the Veterans' Survivors Claims Processing Automation Act.

      S. 1450 allows VA Medical Centers to implement flexible physician and physician assistant work schedules. Currently, the VA’s policies don’t sync up with how private sector medical professionals manage their schedules. Hospitalist and Emergency Medicine physicians who specialize in the care of patients in the hospital often needing to work irregular work schedules to accommodate the need for continuity of efficient hospital care. Hirono’s provision would give the VA authority to align VA policies with the private sector, facilitating the recruitment, retention of emergency physicians and the recruitment, retention and operation of a hospitalist physician system at VA medical centers.
      S. 1451 eliminates the need for survivors or spouses of deceased or totally and permanently disabled veterans to file a formal claim before the VA settles and pays claims for survivors benefits. Right now, survivors or spouses of veterans have to file a formal claim and go through an often lengthy process in order to receive VA survivors benefits, like burial/funeral benefits or disability pensions, for veterans who are deceased or totally and permanently disabled. Hirono’s provision would give the VA authority to pay a survivors claim without a formal application when sufficient evidence is already on record. The authority would allow automation of the following benefit categories: VA burial/funeral benefits, VA dependency and indemnity compensation, VA Survivors Pension and VA payment of certain accrued benefits upon death of a beneficiary to survivors.

Tutu & Me invites families to its educational services for young children. Photo by Julia Neal

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U.S. REP. TULSI GABBARD VOTED IN FAVOR of H.R.158, the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act. Gabbard has repeatedly called for a temporary suspension of the Visa Waiver Program for specific countries with a high number of citizens identified as ISIS foreign fighters and introduced such legislation over a year  ago.
      VWP allows citizens from 38 countries from around the world, including the United Kingdom, France and Belgium, which have all identified thousands of their passport holders to have traveled to fight with extremist grounds in Iraq and Syria, to enter the U.S. without a visa.

Holy Rosary sponsored floats and after-parade gathering at the church. Photo by Julia Neal

      H.R.158 requires dual-citizens of VWP countries and Iraq, Syria or other state-sponsors of terrorism, as well as those who have visited Iraq and Syria since 2011, from entering the U.S. through the VWP and to instead go through the regular visa application process, which provides for more security screening measures. In addition, it requires all travelers from VWP countries to have an e-passport with relevant biographic and biometric information to make it harder for people travel under a false identity and requires VWP countries to certify that their ports of entry can validate these e-passports.

      “I am pleased that leaders in both parties have grown to recognize the important necessity of addressing and fixing the vulnerabilities that exist within the program,” Gabbard said. “Following last month’s tragic attacks in Paris, many European leaders have raised concerns over their own ability to collect critical intelligence information and monitor European passport holders who travel freely in and out of Syria through open borders with Turkey and then throughout Europe among countries that make up the borderless Schengen zone. As the U.S. looks to develop long-term changes that can better identify those coming into our country that present a threat to our national security, this legislation will help to address some of the security gaps that exist through this program. However, more must be done to address the gaping hole in Turkey’s border with Syria, which still allows European foreign fighters to travel in and out of Syria to fight alongside ISIS, without a trace.” 

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