Find out the latest news from the VFW below.
. Senate Passes Defense Bill: The Senate passed S. 4049, the National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA). This
legislation includes a VFW-supported provision to add bladder cancer,
hypothyroidism, and parkinsonism to the list of presumptive conditions
associated with exposure to Agent Orange. The scientific community
concurs that sufficient evidence exists to link these three
conditions. The VFW urges the House and Senate to keep this provision
in the final version of the NDAA.
House Holds Markup on VFW-Supported Legislation: On Thursday, the
House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held a markup hearing on 12
pieces of legislation. The VFW-supported bills considered at the
hearing include H.R. 5487, the Veterans Cemetery Grants Improvement
Act, H.R. 5639, the Chuck Osier Burial Benefits Act, and H.R. 7795, To
amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the ability of veterans
to access and submit disability benefit questionnaire forms of the
Department of Veterans Affairs. The committee voted to approve all 12
bills which will be considered by the entire House. Watch the hearing.
ABLE Accounts Allow Tax Benefit for Disabled Veterans: As the
result of the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014,
states are allowed to create a tax-advantaged savings program for
eligible people with disabilities. 529A ABLE accounts can help
designated beneficiaries pay for qualified disability expenses with
the distributions being tax-free. In honoring the more than 4.7
million veterans with service-connected disabilities, the Internal
Revenue Service encourages veterans to check the tax benefits of ABLE
accounts.
MIA Update: The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced no new
identifications or burial updates for service members who have been
missing and unaccounted-for.