The focus of these goals is veterans' benefits authorized under Title 38 of the U.S. Code.

PROTECT EARNED VETERANS' BENEFITS

• Promote public and political recognition that veterans' benefits are earned through service and sacrifice in defense of the nation and are not "entitlement" or "social welfare" programs
• Oppose deficit-driven political decisions that would lump earned veterans' benefits with un-related civilian entitlement programs
• Reject political pandering that would ask veterans to do their "fair share" in overcoming national economic woes
• Support final passage of the Honor America's Guard-Reserve Retirees Act (S.491 / H.R. 1025) to establish that career members of the Guard and Reserves who are entitled to a reserve pension, TRICARE and earned veterans' benefits, but never served on Title 10 Federal active duty, are "veterans of the Armed Forces" under the law.

UPGRADE VETERANS' EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION and TRAINING PROGRAMS

• Monitor implementation of the "VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011," which upgrades transition support services, employment assistance, and targeted employment training assistance for military men and women and veterans.
• Support other initiatives for employers to recruit, hire and retain veterans including returning veterans of the Guard and Reserve.
• Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VRE) benefits. Upgrade VRE to ensure parity with P911 GI Bill by establishing a cost-of-living (housing) stipend.
• Support VA plan to reduce / eliminate veteran homelessness
• Survivors and Dependents Educational Assistance. Authorize Survivors of OIF / OEF Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits (Chap. 33, 38 USC), the same benefit available to their dependent children.
• Raise DEA (Chap. 35) rates for pre-11 Sept. 2001 Survivors to match the Montgomery GI Bill; establish a housing stipend for DEA.
• Support legislation that promotes veterans' success in their use of GI Bill benefits; upgrade 'consumer education' resources for military students and student veterans; demand greater transparency and oversight of all GI Bill programs including tracking outcome metrics of all public, private, and proprietary programs
• Authorize transfer-of-benefits under the P911 GI Bill from catastrophically disabled veterans to their full-time Caregivers in cases where a transfer action did not occur prior to the veterans' medical discharge or retirement
• Basic Reserve GI Bill benefits. Urge proportional upgrades to Title 10 Reserve GI Bill program to keep pace with cost of education.
• GI Bill Integration for 21st Century Force. Urge hearings for a unified architecture for all GI Bill programs for active duty, Guard & Reserve service members under the principle of awarding benefits according to the length and type of duty performed.

SUSTAIN VA HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

• Sustain VA advance health care appropriations to ensure fully-funded access to care for returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, and veterans of all conflicts.
• Urge investment, training and cultural awareness in the VA health system of the unique health needs of women veterans. Ensure full implementation of all VA Caregivers Law (P.L. 111-163) provisions, including those supporting women veterans.
• Extend the VA Caregivers Act to full-time Caregivers of catastrophically disabled veterans of conflicts before Sept. 11, 2011
• Support programs and funding to expand / improve care, rehabilitation and research for veterans suffering from PTSD / TBI. Increase behavioral health staff and resources including outreach to address rising suicide rate in veterans
• Oppose fee hikes for currently enrolled veterans in all categories.
• Urge completion of VA strategic plan for rural veteran access to care and services
• Support further collaboration of DoD – VA to achieve real "seamless transition" for injured, ill and wounded warriors as well as other service members and veterans transiting the two systems; preserve integrity and access to both systems for dually eligible members.
• Enact technical amendment to establish CHAMPVA entitlement for adult children of survivors eligible for CHAMPVA as required in the National Health Care Reform Act.
• Support passage of OIF / OEF 'burn pit' registry and other toxic exposure registries as necessary to track long-term health effects of deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan
• Expand VA research including research into the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal and respiratory syndromes that are increasing among OIF / OEF veterans
• Support research on the long-term health of veterans' progeny
• Urge passage of corrective legislation to authorize Medicare / Medicaid reimbursement to State Veterans' Homes to offset cost of care.

IMPROVE VA CLAIMS PROCESSING SYSTEM

• Endorse coordinated, comprehensive approach to improve quality of claims decisions and timeliness.
• Claims workers. Monitor VA actions to hire / train high-quality claims workforce.
• Automate technologies supporting claims. Support various 'back office' process claims initiatives in VA "test bed" sites.
• Presumptive Service Connection. Promote distribution of 'brown' and 'blue' water Navy ship logs as they become available for TMC members to apply for Agent Orange-related diseases. Support passage of S. 1629 (Sen. Gillibrand), the Agent Orange Equity Act of 2011, to establish eligibility for presumptive service-connection for 'blue water' Navy Vietnam-era sailors.
• Defend against budget-based attacks on VA claims-processing laws and system.
• Monitor ongoing DoD disability review process under USAF Executive Agency, as established by Congress, to provide a fair re-look for servicemembers whose Service disability ratings were low-balled.
• Support modernization of the VA Schedule of Rating Disabilities based on current medical science

STRENGTHEN LEGAL / FINANCIAL PROTECTIONS FOR MILITARY FAMILIES

• Monitor Congressionally-directed 3-year reemployment rights pilot project for Guard – Reserve Federal workers under the Office of Special Counsel. Arrange for periodic updates for TMC with the OSC.
• Establish employment and reemployment rights under the USERRA for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers who are members of the Guard and Reserve
• Authorize veterans' preference appeal rights for veterans in the TSA
• Ensure implementation of upgrades to Servicemembers' Civil Relief Act (SCRA) protections regarding telephone service contracts, residential and motor vehicle lease termination fees, and enforcement by U.S. Attorney General of 'right of private action'.
• Review and endorse appropriate provisions in a Dept. of Justice legislative package (Sept. 2011) submitted to Congress that would strengthen the USERRA and SCRA.
• Strengthen SCRA coverage for military spouses and families