Mike Bost

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Representative Banks' bill, H.R. 502, as amended. I am pleased to support Representative Banks' bill to ensure that all servicemembers who have paid into the GI Bill are properly repaid. This bill would close the financial loophole that prevents at least 25,000 Active-Duty servicemembers from receiving the repayments they are due. Under current law, a servicemember who switches from Montgomery to the Post-9/11 GI Bill would lose $1,200 that they paid into the program if they exhausted their benefits while still on Active Duty. Veterans who exhaust their benefits already receive the $1,200 back. Representative Banks' bill would fix this policy to ensure that servicemembers and veterans who are pursuing a higher education degree are treated equally. Servicemembers have earned this benefit by protecting our country. They should not be short changed just because they are getting an education while still on Active Duty. This bill would include a short-term extension of VA home loan funding fees to fully offset the cost of this bill. I thank The American Legion for bringing this problem to our attention. I also thank Congressman Banks for reintroducing this important bill that will make a big difference for thousands of Active- Duty servicemen and -women. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 502, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, once again, I encourage all Members to support this legislation. I also want to join with the ranking member in telling the Senate that this is a really good bill and that they should take it up right away. We want to encourage them to do that. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Banks), the sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 502) to amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs repays members of the Armed Forces for certain contributions made by such members towards Post-9/11 Educational Assistance, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 502, as amended.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I also encourage my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1226, as amended. This bill will require VA to establish a secure online tool which veterans can use to request a copy of their VA claims file or C-file. Veterans may want to see their records to ensure the VA received all the evidence they submitted. They may also use this information to decide whether to appeal VA's decision. Currently, veterans must travel to the regional office to view their records, which is inconvenient, or they can request a copy by mail, which can take weeks or even months. I support this bill because it would make it easier for veterans to get their VA records in a timely manner. Furthermore, I have heard increasing concerns from veterans about bad actors attempting to con them out of their benefits. This is unacceptable. H.R. 1226, as amended, would require VA to educate veterans about predatory actors when they log into the VA website. These warnings will prevent veterans from being taken advantage of. I appreciate Representative Aguilar's leadership on this issue. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in support of this bill today. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 1226, as amended.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1226) to amend title 38, United States Code, to allow for the electronic request of certain records, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, once again, I encourage all Members to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman), my good friend.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs. Rodgers).

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 815, the RELIEVE Act, as amended. This bill would close a loophole by covering emergency room medical expenses for veterans that are newly enrolled in VA care. Under current law, VA does not reimburse veterans for emergency care received in the community if they have not visited a VA facility within 2 years. This policy includes veterans who are newly enrolled in the VA healthcare system but may not be considered active patients. As a result, inactive veteran patients and their families could be met with undue payment burdens if they receive urgent medical treatment outside the VA. Representative McMorris Rodgers' bill, H.R. 815, as amended, will correctly close this gap in emergency room services. This will help those in need at their most vulnerable time by extending VA reimbursement for 60 days after the veteran's enrollment in the VA healthcare. As chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee and a veteran, I have heard from fellow veterans who have been wrongfully affected by this confusing policy. One of my top priorities in Congress is to ensure that veterans receive necessary care without worrying about payment burdens and bureaucratic red tape. I thank the gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs. Rodgers), the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman), and the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Pappas) for introducing this commonsense legislation that takes care of our Nation's veterans by making sure they receive the care that they deserve. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 815, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 815) to amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements relating to the eligibility of veterans to receive reimbursement for emergency treatment furnished through the Veterans Community Care program, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 815, as amended.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I encourage all Members to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 753, as amended, the VA COST SAVINGS Enhancements Act. I am proud to reintroduce this bill this Congress. This bill will require the VA to conduct a medical waste cost analysis at VA medical centers nationwide. This would identify VA facilities where it would be more cost-effective to install waste incinerators on-site rather than contracting a third party to ship medical waste to be destroyed off-site. Only around 20 percent of our VA facilities have a medical waste system installed. My bill would change that. In return, it will save VA tens of millions of dollars annually. By supporting my bill, we would create a safer and cleaner environment at our VA hospitals. We would also be better stewards of taxpayers' dollars without diminishing services to our veterans. Our Nation's veterans deserve the safest medical practices, and nothing, including waste management, should fall short of that. This bill is a win-win. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me today in support of H.R. 753, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 753, as amended.

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 753) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to use on-site regulated medical waste treatment systems at certain Department of Veterans Affairs facilities, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BOST

Mr. BOST. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer).

Mr. BOST. Madam Chair, I appreciate the input from everybody involved, and I ask for positive consideration. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOST. Let me explain it this way. The answer is, I don't know, nor do you, nor does anyone because we only use the urban. Therefore, the best thing we could do is include all.