Congressional Research Service Reports - 396 Matching Results
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- Veterans and Homelessness
- The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan brought renewed attention to the needs of veterans, including the needs of homeless veterans. Researchers have found both male and female veterans to be overrepresented in the homeless population, and, as the number of veterans increased due to these conflicts, there was concern that the number of homeless veterans could rise commensurately. This report discusses the various aspects of this issue.
- Veterans Affairs: Benefits for Service-Connected Disabilities
- This report describes disability compensation, which is a benefit Congress provides to American veterans and their dependents through the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Disability compensation is a monthly cash benefit program for veterans currently impaired from past service-connected activities.
- Veterans Affairs: Presumptive Service Connection and Disability Compensation
- The purpose of this report is to examine the very complex and sometimes controversial policy issue of establishing presumptive service connection. The material in it is based in large part on VA's "Analysis of Presumptions of Service Connection," and IOM's "Improving the Presumptive Disability Decision-Making Process for Veterans" reports.
- The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010
- This report identifies and examines selected changes that the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 makes to the Post-9/11 GI Bill and other GI Bills, including expanded eligibility.
- Disability Benefits Available Under the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Veterans Disability Compensation (VDC) Programs
- This report seeks to clarify why one group of individuals with disabilities may be eligible for benefits under Veteran's Disability Compensation (VDC), but ineligible for benefits under Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) (and vice versa), through a description and comparison of several distinguishing characteristics of the SSDI and VDC programs. This report concludes with a discussion of the challenges facing the administration of both programs, including processing delays for pending claims and appeals.
- Veterans Medical Care: FY2011 Appropriations
- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides benefits to veterans through three major operating units, one of which is the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), on which this report focuses. This report will track the FY2011 appropriations process for funding VHA, and will be updated as legislative activities warrant.
- The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010
- Since enactment of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 (Post-9/11 GI Bill; P.L. 110-252; Title 38 U.S.C., Chapter 33), there has been discussion of problems and possible enhancements to improve the program's implementation, administration, and benefits. This report summarizes provisions in the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010 (S. 3447), as reported by the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs on August 5, 2010, for full Senate consideration.
- Survivor Benefits for Families of Civilian Federal Employees and Retirees
- This report discusses federal employees with permanent appointments that may be eligible for retirement and disability benefits under either the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS).
- Veterans Affairs: Presumptive Service Connection and Disability Compensation
- This report discusses presumptive service connection, its legislative history, and current challenges in making evidence-based determinations of presumptions. It also discusses the Agent Orange Act (P.L. 102-4) and suggests implications of the process established by the act for future presumptive service-connected determinations.
- Credit for Military Service Under Civilian Federal Employee Retirement Systems
- Federal employees with permanent appointments earn pension benefits under one of two retirement plans. Employees hired after 1983 participate in the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS). Employees hired before 1984 participate in the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) unless they elected to transfer to the FERS during open seasons held in 1987 and 1998. This report discusses the changes in legislation that allowed veterans who subsequently became civilian federal employees to count their years of active-duty military service toward retirement eligibility and pension benefits under CSRS.
- Unemployment Compensation (Insurance) and Military Service
- This report discusses Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers (UCX), which provides income support while former active duty military personnel or reservists released from active duty search for work. The report addresses funding for this service, who is entitled to UCX benefits, and Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC08) and the Extended Benefits (EB) payments, which a servicemember receives when regular unemployment benefits are exhausted.
- Veterans Affairs: "Gray Area Retirees"-- Issues and Related Legislation
- The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides a broad range of benefits and services to American veterans and to certain members of their families. In addition, the Department of Defense (DOD) offers a variety of benefits to veterans who are also military retirees. When members of the National Guard or the Reserve who have not yet reached age 60 retire (usually after at least 20 years of service), however, they are not entitled to certain federal benefits, including health care. These military retirees are commonly known as "Gray Area Retirees" (GARs). These persons may not necessarily meet the relevant statutory definition of "veterans" for VA benefit purposes, nor are they eligible for DOD health benefits until they are eligible for military retired pay at age 60. This report examines the current VA and DOD benefit eligibility for members of the National Guard and the Reserves. It also examines the benefit status and situation of GARs.
- Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange: Legislative History, Litigation, and Current Issues
- This report provides an overview of how Congress and the judiciary have addressed the concerns of Vietnam-era veterans and briefly describes some of the current issues raised by Vietnam-era veterans.
- Veterans' Benefits: Burial Benefits and National Cemeteries
- This report provides a descriptive analysis of both nonmonetary and monetary burial benefits and national cemeteries. This report addresses congressional and constituent issues such as who is eligible to receive burial benefits; who can be buried in a national cemetery; what plans does the Department of Veterans Affairs have to build new or expand existing national cemeteries; and what benefits does the VA provide, among others.
- When Will DOD Modernize its Electronic Health Records Systems?
- This report discusses the Departments of Defense (DOD) efforts to mover from joint single integrated electronic health record to an "off-the-shelf" acquisition and VA announced it would pursue an "open-source" strategy.
- Veterans Medical Care: FY2009 Appropriations
- This report provides a brief background on the veterans' health care system, followed by a discussion of the FY2009 Veterans Health Administration (VHA) budget request, and House and Senate Appropriation Committee action. The report concludes with a discussion of major VHA budget issues.
- Employment for Veterans: Trends and Programs
- Veterans' employment outcomes in the civilian labor market are an issue of ongoing congressional interest. This report offers introductory data on veterans' performance in the civilian labor market as well as a discussion of veteran-targeted federal programs that provide employment-related benefits and services.
- Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies: FY2013 Appropriations
- This report discusses federal government funding for the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriations bill, which provides funding for the planning, design, construction, alteration, and improvement of facilities used by active and reserve military components worldwide.
- Veterans Affairs: Basic Eligibility for Disability Benefit Programs
- This report examines the eligibility criteria and the fundamentals of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)-administered disability benefit programs and related issues. It supplements and condenses the relevant materials that are available from the VA and its website. It also provides specific citations for further information and more in-depth analysis of information contained herein.
- Traumatic Brain Injury Among Veterans
- This report discusses traumatic brain injury (TBI) among veterans receiving care in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facilities, with particular attention to Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) veterans.
- Veterans' Medical Care: FY2013 Appropriations
- This report focuses on appropriations for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). It begins with a brief overview of the Veterans Affairs' (VA) budget for FY2012 and the President's request for FY2013 as a whole. It then presents a brief overview of VHA's budget formulation, a description of the accounts that fund the VHA, and a summary of the FY2012 VHA budget. The report ends with a section discussing recent legislative developments pertaining to the FY2013 VHA budget.
- TRICARE and VA Health Care: Impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA)
- This report addresses key questions concerning how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) affects TRICARE and VA health care.
- Health Care for Dependents and Survivors of Veterans
- This report discusses the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA), which is primarily a health insurance program where certain eligible dependents and survivors of veterans receive care from private sector health care providers. This report provides information regarding eligibility requirements, available benefits, and payment structures.
- Veterans Affairs: Health Care and Benefits for Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange
- This report provides an overview of health care services and disability compensation benefits available to Vietnam veterans, Children of Vietnam Era veterans, and non-Vietnam veterans exposed to herbicides. This is followed by a discussion of litigation pertaining to Navy veterans of the Vietnam Era who served offshore and were never physically present on Vietnamese soil. The report concludes with a discussion of epidemiologic research conducted to study the health effects of Agent Orange and dioxin exposure on Vietnam veterans.
- Unemployment Compensation (Insurance) and Military Service
- This report discusses unemployment compensation for Ex-Service members (UCX), which provides income support while former active duty military personnel or reservists released from active duty search for work. The report addresses funding for this service, who is entitled to UCX benefits, and the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC08) and the Extended Benefits (EB) payments, which are benefits a service member receives when regular unemployment benefits are exhausted
- The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 (Post-9/11 GI Bill): Primer and Issues
- This report provides a description of the eligibility requirements, benefit availability, benefit payments, participation, and obligations of the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The report also describes a few issues that may be addressed by Congress.
- Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies: FY2009 Appropriations
- This report is a guide to one of the regular appropriations bills that Congress considers each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittees. It summarizes the status of the bill, its scope, major issues, funding levels, and related congressional activity, and is updated as events warrant. The report lists the key CRS staff relevant to the issues covered and related CRS products.
- Veterans' Medical Care: FY2013 Appropriations
- This report focuses on the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The VHA is primarily a direct service provider of primary care, specialized care, and related medical and social support services to veterans through the nation's largest integrated health care system.
- Overview of the Appeal Process for Veterans' Claims
- This report covers the current appeal process for veterans benefit claims. It ends with a description of current proposed legislation to alter the process.
- Veterans' Benefits: Issues in the 110th Congress
- This report discusses veterans' benefits issues that are already part of the legislative agenda for the 110th Congress or are likely to be of interest to Congress. These benefits and issues fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). Also presented in this report are an overview of the benefits and their eligibility requirements, data on both the veteran population and the benefit population, and summary information on the FY2008 budget for veterans' benefits.
- Veterans' Medical Care: FY2015 Appropriations
- This report focuses on funding for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The VHA is primarily a direct service provider of primary care, specialized care, and related medical and social support services to veterans through the nation's largest integrated health care system.
- "Who is a Veteran?"-- Basic Eligibility for Veterans' Benefits
- This report examines the basic eligibility criteria for VA administered veterans' benefits, including the issue of eligibility of members of the National Guard and reserve components.
- Veterans' Benefits: Issues in the 110th Congress
- This report provides a general discussion of veterans' benefits issues that are part of the legislative agenda of the 110th Congress or are likely to be of legislative interest. Among those issues are disability compensation and pensions; education benefits; homelessness; life insurance; the status or eligibility of groups such as U.S. merchant seamen and World War II Filipino veterans for veterans' benefits; Reserve and National Guard eligibility for veterans' benefits; the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims; and legal representation for veterans. For each issue, an overview is provided, along with summaries of pertinent pending legislation. In addition, an overview of the benefits and their eligibility requirements, demographics for both the veteran population and the benefit population, and summary data on the FY2008 budget for veterans' benefits are provided.
- Improving Health Care Access for Veterans: H.R. 3230
- This report provides a brief comparison of the Senate ("Senate Bill") and House ("House Bill") provisions that would provide expanded authority to the VA to provide care to veterans through non-VA health care providers and facilities. This report compares only major provisions contained in Title III of the Senate version and Sections 2 and 3 of the House Version of H.R. 3230.
- Veterans' Benefits: Current Life Insurance Programs
- This report provides information on the current Veterans Affairs life insurance programs available for service-members and veterans, management and administration issues, and associated policy issues.
- A Brief History of Veterans' Education Benefits and Their Value
- This report reviews the evolution of veterans' education benefit programs and describes the types of education benefits that have been made available under these programs. It also examines how changes in the estimated value of these benefits compares with changes in average college prices, and provides a discussion of the interaction between veterans' education benefits and federal student aid benefits made available under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended.
- TRICARE and VA Health Care: Impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA)
- This report addresses key questions concerning how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) affects the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system.
- Veterans' Benefits: The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Duty to Assist Claimants
- This report analyzes court decisions that have examined the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA's) obligation to assist veterans during the claims process.
- Veterans' Benefits: Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) for Survivors
- This report outlines the eligibility requirements and benefit levels for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) and related policy issues.
- A Brief History of Veterans' Education Benefits and Their Value
- This report reviews the evolution of veterans' education benefit programs and describes the types of education benefits that have been made available under these programs. The first section provides an historical overview of education benefits for military veterans, beginning with the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (GI Bill of Rights). The second section is an analysis of the estimated value of veterans' education benefits relative to average college prices. This section focuses on the estimated value of veterans' education benefits and college prices at four-year public and private institutions, and two-year public institutions. The final section briefly examines the interaction between veterans' education benefits and federal student aid benefits authorized under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended.
- Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs: Status of the Integrated Electronic Health Record (iEHR)
- The purpose of this report is to provide a background on the long-standing efforts in sharing health information between Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
- Veterans Medical Care: FY2009 Appropriations
- This report provides a brief background on the veterans' health care system, followed by a discussion of the FY2009 Veterans Health Administration (VHA) budget request, and House and Senate Appropriations Committee action. The report concludes with a discussion of major VHA budget issues.
- Health Care for Rural Veterans: The Example of Federally Qualified Health Centers
- This report discusses considerations that may arise during possible attempts to increase the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) collaboration with federally qualified health centers (FQHC), and describes policy levers Congress might use to encourage VA-FQHC collaboration.
- Suicide Prevention Efforts of the Veterans Health Administration
- This report discusses seven areas of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) suicide prevention interventions: easy access to care, education, screening and treatment, limited access to lethal means, suicide hotline, media restrictions, and suicide prevention coordinators.
- Health Care for Rural Veterans: The Example of Federally Qualified Health Centers
- This report discusses considerations that may arise during possible attempts to increase collaboration between the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and describes policy levers Congress might use to encourage VA-FQHC collaboration. These approaches might also be employed to encourage collaboration between the VA and other types of facilities that may serve rural veterans.
- Federal Holidays: Evolution and Current Practices
- This report discusses the creation of federal holidays, how holidays affect employee pay, and recent holiday legislation.
- The Number of Veterans That Use VA Health Care Services: A Fact Sheet
- This report provides data on the number of veterans and VA health care users, and discusses the allegations of long delays in treatments.
- Survivor Benefits for Families of Civilian Federal Employees and Retirees
- This report discusses federal employees with permanent appointments that may be eligible for retirement and disability benefits under either the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS).
- Veterans' Medical Care: FY2014 Appropriations
- This report focuses on funding for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The VHA is primarily a direct service provider of primary care, specialized care, and related medical and social support services to veterans through the nation's largest integrated health care system.
- Health Care for Veterans: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
- This report provides responses to frequently asked questions about health care provided to veterans through the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). It is intended to serve as a quick reference to provide easy access to information. Where applicable, it provides the legislative background pertaining to the question.