The Caregivers Act

Floor Speech

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, November is National Family Caregivers Month. As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I would like to take a moment to discuss the important role caregivers play in the lives of our Nation's veterans as they cope with the visible and invisible wounds of war.

For generations, as the men and women of our armed forces returned home with serious injuries sustained overseas, their wives, husbands, parents and other family members stepped in to care for them. These family members have often provided this care at significant personal sacrifice. Their dedication to the needs of injured veterans has often resulted in lost professional opportunities, negative impact on their own physical and mental health, and reduction in income.

Under the ``Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010,'' a number of important benefits were made available to these caregivers for the first time, with additional services and benefits made available to caregivers of seriously injured post-9/11 veterans and their families. These additional services and benefits include a tax-free monthly stipend, travel assistance, health insurance, mental health services and counseling, caregiver training and respite care.

Passage of the Caregivers Act served as an important step in ensuring the caregivers of our newest generation of veterans received the additional resources to provide the best possible care for their loved ones. However, limiting eligibility for these additional services and benefits to caregivers of post-9/11 veterans created an inequity between caregivers of the newest generation of veterans and the tens of thousands of hardworking, dedicated caregivers who provide care to all other veterans.

In an effort to address the disparity, I introduced legislation earlier this year that would extend the services and benefits of the Caregiver Program to caregivers of veterans of all eras. Through this expansion, severely injured pre-9/11 veterans and their families may now leverage the benefits from which, until now, only post-9/11 veterans have benefited. The Congressional Budget Office estimates this bill would expand access to services to approximately 70,000 caregivers of pre-9/11 veterans. I am pleased the committee passed my legislation, S. 851, the Caregivers Expansion and Improvement Act of 2013 earlier this year and am working to bring it before the full Senate for a vote.

All caregivers of our Nation's injured veterans deserve our full support. This is an issue of equity. As a long-standing advocate for veterans, I will continue to work to ensure caregivers have the resources they need. We have learned from experience and research that veterans are best served when they can live as independently as possible. I hope my fellow Members will help me honor the commitment this country has to all of its veterans by supporting S. 851 when it comes to the Floor.

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