Veterans
Supporting Those Who Have Served

I, like so many of my fellow Alaskans, realize the responsibility that our Nation has to ensure the care of our brave soldiers. As a veteran myself, having served in the U.S. Army 41st Tank Battalion, I have made the support of our Nation's veterans one of my top priorities. Alaska is blessed with brave and intelligent soldiers who have volunteered to protect us and keep us safe. In honor of these brave men and women, I have been able to cosponsor the better part of a dozen different bills and support multiple others just in the first session of the 111th Congress alone. Each was specifically drafted to assist our veterans and to provide them with the care and benefits which they have earned through their sacrifices to our Nation. This is not just political rhetoric, this is a fact, and it is a debt which we owe them. It has been my honor to work in support of Alaska's Veterans and those of our Nation as a whole, and I look forward to continuing that support into the next session and into the future.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) affect a large population of our troops returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.  I have cosponsored a number of bills supporting increased treatment and access to treatment for PTSD and TBI.  I will continue to do all that I can to ensure that our troops returning from war are well taken care of, and have ample access to any treatment they need. 

I believe in producing results instead of promises. Here are just a few of the things which I have been working on as your Representative in Congress.

Veterans Bills Sponsored by Rep. Young in 111th Congress:

H.R. 5402 - Alaska Native Veterans Land Allotment Equity Act
This bill would amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to provide for equitable allotment of lands to Alaska Native veterans.  Approximately 2,800 Alaska Natives served in the military during the Vietnam conflict and many did not have an opportunity to apply for their native allotment. 

H.R. 5403 –
This legislation would create a two year pilot program in Alaska to link TRICARE with VA rates, and requires a report to Congress on the program.  

H.R. 5404 –
This legislation would allow the dependents of guardsmen and reservists who retired before the age of 60 to fly space available on military aircraft.  

Veterans Bills Cosponsored by Rep. Young in 111th Congress:

H.R. 333 - Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act
This bill would permit retired members of the Armed Forces who have a service-connected disability rated less than 50 percent to receive concurrent payment of both retired pay and veterans' disability compensation, to eliminate the phase-in period for concurrent receipt, to extend eligibility for concurrent receipt to chapter 61 disability retirees with less than 20 years of service.

H.R. 593 - 
This legislation would extend the authorized concurrent receipt of disability severance pay from the Department of Defense (DOD) and compensation for the same disability under any law administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to include all veterans with a combat-related disability. (Under current law, such concurrent receipt is limited to those veterans who incur a disability in the line of duty in a combat zone or during the performance of duty in combat-related operations.)

H.R. 775 - Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act
This bill would repeal certain provisions which require the offset of amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation from Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities for the surviving spouses of former military personnel who are entitled to military retired pay or who would be entitled to retired pay except for being under 60 years of age.  It would also prohibit requiring repayment of certain amounts previously paid to SBP recipients in the form of a retired pay refund.