NewsBytes January 6, 2023
In this issue:
House in Gridlock over Selecting New Speaker
HVAC Oversight Hearing on Veterans Toxic Exposure Law (PACT Act)
Expedited Processing of PACT Act Claims for Veterans with Terminal Illnesses
2023 BAH Rates Released
House in Gridlock over Selecting New Speaker
The new 118th Congress got off to a chaotic start when Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) failed to get enough votes on the first vote for Speaker of the House. He collected 203 votes, with 19 other Republicans voting for other candidates. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) received 212 votes. A candidate needs 218 votes to become speaker. The House not selecting a Speaker on the first round of voting has not occurred since 1923. As NewsBytes goes to press there have been six more rounds of voting with little or no change in the outcome after which the House adjourned.
HVAC Oversight Hearing on Veterans Toxic Exposure Law (PACT Act)
The House Veterans Affairs Committee recently held an oversight hearing on the implementation of the recently enacted comprehensive toxic exposure law (PACT Act). VSOs testifying indicated that PACT-Act-related claims are being adjudicated and some being granted by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), primarily for Vietnam War veterans with hypertension and for those who served in Thailand. The VA staff testifying claimed a large increase in claims since the passage of the PACT Act, and the VA claims processing is keeping pace with the increase, so far.
The newly enacted law would allow for the first time all veterans who were at risk of toxic exposure, including 3.5 million Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, to obtain immediate and lifelong access to health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) — one of the largest expansions of health care eligibility in the VA’s history. The law would provide presumptive care for numerous conditions for veterans sickened by exposure to burn pits and other toxins. This Act would also establish a new science-based and veteran-focused process for the establishment of new presumptive conditions and would provide benefits to thousands of toxic exposure veterans who have been long-ignored or forgotten, including Agent Orange veterans suffering from hypertension.
Expedited Processing of PACT Act Claims for Veterans with Terminal Illnesses
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) revealed it began processing PACT Act benefits claims for eligible terminally ill veterans as of Dec. 12. While PACT Act claims for all other veterans will begin on Jan. 1, 2023, VA was able to expedite processing for terminally ill veterans to ensure these veterans receive their earned benefits on the earliest possible date. “These Veterans have stepped up to serve our country in the times when we needed them most — and now it’s our job to step up for them,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “It’s the right thing to do to get these heroes the world-class health care and benefits they’ve earned as soon as possible, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”
2023 BAH Rates Released
The Department of Defense recently released the Basic Allowance of Housing (BAH) rates for calendar year 2023. The 2023 Basic Allowance for Housing, or BAH , rates for military service members will increase by an unusually large average of 12.1% thanks to soaring housing costs nationwide, though some troops have already begun to receive their new amounts thanks to a temporary bump this year. Rates will go up in 291 of the 300 military housing areas in the U.S., stay the same in four, and go down in five with the start of the new calendar year. The Defense Department estimated that it will pay about 1 million service members a total of $26.8 billion in BAH in 2023.
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