Cosponsores needed for S. 1341

Please forward this Action Alert widely within your network.

ACTION REQUESTED: The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans urges its members, veteran advocates and service providers to CALL their two U.S. Senators and request that they co-sponsor the Veterans' Enhanced Transition Services Act (S. 1341). Senator Russell Feingold (D-WI) introduced S. 1341 on June 30.

IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED: Please CALL your two U.S. Senators immediately.  The Senate has just one week left in Washington before breaking in August for its summer recess, when they are generally unavailable to their staff for routine decision-making. Also, Senator Feingold will be filing the text of S. 1341 as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which is expected to come to the Senate floor soon after reconvening in September.  His case for the amendment will be strengthened considerably if he can demonstrate support for the legislation from his colleagues.

Your calls are important. Some members of Congress will co-sponsor bills only if they receive requests from constituents to do so. Also, members are asked to co-sponsor thousands of bills each year. They make their decisions based on reactions from constituents back home.

BACKGROUND: Current law requires the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to provide individual preseparation counseling to each member of the armed forces whose discharge or release from active duty is anticipated. Preseparation counseling takes many forms, but tends to be brief group presentations to service members immediately prior to their separation. Current law also authorizes the Department of Labor to offer the Transition Assistance Program (TAP), which furnishes counseling, assistance in identifying employment and training opportunities, help in obtaining such employment and training, and other related information and services to members of the armed forces who are being separated from active duty. TAP is a three-day group-level workshop.

Former service members, including troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, report that the preseparation counseling and transition assistance programs are lacking in a number of areas. Among their concerns: the depth and content of preseparation counseling is quite variable across delivery sites. Preseparation counseling may be limited to brief group-level presentations rather than individualized transition planning (as is contemplated in the statute). Service member participation in TAP is at the will of the unit commander, and often allowed only during off-duty time. Neither program includes content on homelessness awareness or housing counseling assistance.

The Veterans' Enhanced Transition Services (VETS) Act (S. 1341) would:

• Ensure equity in access to preseparation counseling and transition assistance regardless of the service members' type of service, military branch, duty station, rank, or discharge condition.
• Extend TAP to all service members except those returning to confirmable positions of employment or resuming academic pursuits.
• Expand the scope of content to be covered in preseparation counseling and transition assistance to ensure the dissemination of full information on the health care, compensation, employment and housing benefits to which service members and veterans are eligible.
• Require demobilization physicals, including mental health screening and assessment, for all returning personnel.
• Require that DOD and VA assist all eligible members enroll in the VA health care system.

INSTRUCTIONS: Due to the time-sensitive nature of this action alert, please CALL your two U.S. Senators. To determine who your U.S. Senators are and find their phone numbers, go to http://www.senate.gov, search for the web pages of the Senators from your state, and note the phone numbers for their Washington, D.C., offices. Or, you may call 202-224-3121 and ask the operator to transfer you to the offices of your U.S. Senators.

Tell the receptionist that you are a constituent. Ask to speak to the staff person who handles veteran issues. You may be transferred to that staff member's voice mailbox. Use the Talking Points below as your script for your telephone call or voicemail message.

TALKING POINTS:

• Identify yourself, and the organization you represent, if applicable.
• I am calling to request that the Senator co-sponsor S. 1341, the Veterans' Enhanced Transition Services Act.
• S. 1341 directs the Department of Defense and Department of Labor to strengthen their current transition services programs for separating service members.
• The preseparation counseling and transition assistance programs available to service members leaving the military are lacking in a number of areas.
• Recently separated service members are at increased risk of unemployment and homelessness, which could be averted if they had access to better separation services.
• We really need the Senator to co-sponsor S. 1341 quickly. The bill may be offered as an amendment during floor debate on the National Defense Authorization Act, which could take place in early September.  Co-sponsorship of S. 1341 will help Senator Feingold determine the level of support for his amendment.
• Please apprise me of the Senator's decision on my request.
• I can be reached at phone number and e-mail address. My postal mail address is XXX.
• Thank you for your prompt action.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Linda Boone, President/CEO, National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, 202-546-1969, ext. 102; 800-VET-HELP; nchv@nchv.org.

REPORT BACK TO NCHV: Please send a brief e-mail to Linda Boone, President/CEO, National Coalition for Homeless Veterans at nchv@nchv.org, reporting your actions and summarizing any conversations with the Congressional offices you contacted.

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