Mark Takano

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7939) to make permanent certain educational assistance benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in the case of changes to courses of education by reason of emergency situations, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5916) to amend title 38, United States Code, to allow for the electronic request of certain records, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 5916, as amended, the Wounded Warrior Access Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5916, as amended.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5916, as amended. Representative Aguilar's Wounded Warrior Access Act would require VA to establish and maintain a secure, internet-based website to enable a claimant or their representative to make records requests related to VA claims and benefits. Additionally, this bill would add a provision requiring VA to warn claimants about benefit scammers, provide a way to report potentially fraudulent activity, and provide a tool for claimants to search for accredited representation. Currently, to make records requests related to VA claims and benefits, veterans or designated representatives must submit a Freedom of Information Act, otherwise known as a FOIA, or a Privacy Act Request. Submitting this form followed by waiting for it to upload into the individual's electronic claims file, and then waiting action on the request can be very time-consuming and can negatively impact a claimant's ability to understand what records VA is evaluating and what information could better assist in a claim's positive adjudication. Establishing and maintaining a secure, internet-based website to enable a claimant or their representative to make requests related to VA claims and benefits would modernize this essential process and assist in more timely, positive claim outcomes. This bill would also add another tool in the toolbox for veterans when navigating the complexities of the claims process and will help veterans gain a little more autonomy over their claim. Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that my colleagues will join me in supporting this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 8260, as amended, the Faster Payments to Veterans Survivors Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 8260, as amended.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 8260, as amended, the bipartisan Faster Payments to Veterans' Survivors Act, will result in important help for the surviving family members of recently deceased veterans. Families often face financial hardship when a veteran life insurance policyholder dies, making timely payment of these VA benefits is therefore essential. The VA does an admirable job of quickly paying the vast majority of beneficiaries upon the death of a loved one. Yet, in other cases, for a variety of reasons, VA is unable to determine the identity or location of a surviving spouse, child, or family member. At the end of the fiscal year 2020, the Department owed more than $150 million in undisbursed life insurance proceeds to nearly 15,000 survivors. Approximately 10 percent of this money had been owed for more than 5 years. This legislation, introduced by Representative Chris Pappas ensures that VA will make the necessary improvements to expedite these life insurance payments with a goal of disbursing all unpaid benefits within 2 years. The bill is cosponsored by more than 40 Members on both sides of the aisle, and it has the support of a half-dozen veteran service organizations, including the VFW, America Legion, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Vietnam Veterans of America, Military Officers Association of America, Modern Military Association of America, and Paralyzed Veterans of America. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Pappas for his work and urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Pappas), my good friend who serves as chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8260) to amend title 38, United States Code, to shorten the timeframe for designation of benefits under Department of Veterans Affairs life insurance programs, to improve the treatment of undisbursed life insurance benefits by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 7735, as amended, the Improving Access to the VA Home Loan Benefit Act of 2022, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7735, as amended, the Improving Access to the VA Home Loan Benefit Act of 2022. It directs VA to make needed improvements to the appraisal portion of the program, where some veterans have experienced delays. The veteran home loan benefit is one of the most important transition benefits afforded to servicemembers and veterans. Over the last few years, during an unprecedented housing market, we have seen how even slight delays in the program can put servicemembers, veterans, and their families behind conventional home loan users. The legislation from Ranking Member Bost directs VA to look internally at where these delays might be and make needed changes to make veteran home buyers as competitive as possible in a challenging buying market. During our committee's May markup, I was pleased the ranking member supported my amendment to his legislation, which would ensure that the changes VA is directed to make to the program only improve the product for veteran home buyers without weakening home-buyer protections such as inspections and appraisals. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7735) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to update the appraisal requirements for certain loans guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 7735, as amended.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 7846, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2022, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (S. 4458) to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the process by which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines whether an educational institution meets requirements relating to the percentage of students who receive educational assistance furnished by the Secretary, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be discharged from further consideration of the bill (H.R. 8656) to designate the clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Mishawaka, Indiana, as the ``Jackie Walorski VA Clinic'', and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I rise to today to honor Lana Abbasi, a dedicated member of my team who has recently announced her plans to return home to California to join the private sector. Since October 2017, Lana has loyally served the constituents of the 41st Congressional District, where she has worn many hats as a field representative, press secretary, and now communications director for my office. Lana has been an invaluable asset to the institution of Congress and my team, and we are deeply saddened by her departure. During her tenure, Lana has elevated the values of my constituents and their needs through influential media strategies on numerous topics that have brought national recognition to the Inland Empire. Lana's work to deliver timely information to constituents regarding COVID-19 in the face of a global pandemic was vitally important to the health and well-being of thousands of people in the Inland Empire. Her messaging and outreach on other issues such as the treatment of our veterans, the future of work, and federal investments in local projects were also imperative. Madam Speaker, I am incredibly honored to have had Lana as a member of my team. Her contributions to my office and the constituents of California's 41st District will be forever celebrated through her service and her work. Lana's quick wit and impeccable fashion sense will be missed in the office each day, and I wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my friend, the ranking member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, implying that he would be supportive of this if we included other categories and other cohorts of veterans in a similar place. I go along with that. I would be willing to work with the ranking member to address these other cohorts because I believe that we need to extend this particular offer to these others, but there is no reason for us not to act on this particular amendment because we have these 300 now-naturalized Korean- American citizens who served with us in the Vietnam war who have critical health needs. Let us take care of these veterans now, but I pledge to work with the ranking member to address the other categories of naturalized American citizens who have served in a similar vein as our Czech Americans, our Polish Americans, and all of our other American allies. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, again, I just urge that all Members of Congress support this amendment. The ranking member and I can work on the other classifications, other classes of veterans. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my amendment, which would correct a decades-long gap in VA's Allied Beneficiary Program by extending this program to South Korean veterans now living in the United States who served alongside the United States during the Vietnam war. For 63 years, veterans of allied forces from World Wars I and II have been able to enroll in VA healthcare. The U.K., Australia, France, New Zealand, and Canada have had reciprocal agreements with the United States, reimbursing the VA for care provided to their veterans and vice versa. In the 1970s, Congress also made veterans of the Czech and Polish Armed Forces who have been American citizens for at least 10 years eligible for VA healthcare. However, neither the Czech Republic nor Poland have reciprocal agreements with the United States, so VA is not reimbursed for the care provided to these veterans. Yet still today, veterans of the Republic of Korea who fought alongside us in the Vietnam war and then went on to become citizens of the United States are denied what their European counterparts already have: access to veteran-centric, high-quality care from VA. Over 300,000 Koreans fought alongside the United States in Vietnam. Thousands went on to build lives here and become citizens, but today only 300 of these veterans are still living. However, despite their service as our allies in the Korean military, these Korean Americans are not recognized as U.S. veterans in theory or in title and are therefore not granted access to VA services under the law. They are also not covered by the Korean healthcare system while living here in the United States. Once they are naturalized United States citizens, they are recognized by South Korea as foreign nationals, with no benefits available to them in the United States. This is the decades-long inequity that this amendment would seek to address. This amendment is about supporting naturalized United States citizens as much as it is about sending a clear message to our allies abroad: If you serve alongside us in times of war, we will have your back. This is important not only to provide vital healthcare to veterans here in the United States but also to instill confidence in our country as an international partner and ally. Three hundred Korean Vietnam veterans, now Americans, are asking this country to respect their service as fully as we respect the service of our European allies. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TAKANO

Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I send to the desk a concurrent resolution and ask unanimous consent for its immediate consideration in the House.