Sen. Murray aims to block VA policy that would cut off benefits to some former troops

[unhappycamper]

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2015/06/29/3882440/sen-murray-aims-to-block-va-policy.html

Sen. Murray aims to block VA policy that would cut off benefits to some former troops
By Adam Ashton
Staff writerJune 29, 2015

Sen. Patty Murray on Monday visited Tacoma to announce a new bill that would force the Department of Veterans Affairs to help former troops regardless of whether they left the military with an honorable discharge.

Murray met with groups in Tacoma that work with homeless veterans. She is pushing to protect vulnerable veterans from losing VA-funded assistance they’ve been receiving through local nonprofit organizations around the country.

They’re at risk because a VA legal review last year concluded that veterans who spent fewer than 24 months in uniform or who received a less than honorable discharge may not be entitled to any government benefits connected to their military service. In most cases, those veterans are not eligible for VA benefits.

That’s unacceptable to Murray and other advocates who worry about closing doors to former troops who were disciplined after experiencing traumatic events, such as combat or sexual assaults.