Shelley Berkley: “Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill. I especially want to thank Chairman Edwards and Ranking Member Wamp for…”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill. I especially want to thank Chairman Edwards and Ranking Member Wamp for providing the resources our Nation's veterans desperately need and for providing additional funding for FY2012. This advanced funding helps the VA avoid disruption of critical programs. We must take care of our brave men and women who serve this country, and this funding goes a long way to address many of their needs. I also want to thank the chairman and ranking member for including report language on veterans' burial benefits. I am deeply concerned about the eroding value of the plot allowance and burial benefits provided to our Nation's veterans by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Because the benefits are not indexed to inflation, their value continues to diminish with each passing year. As a result, families and State veterans' cemeteries have been left to cover the increasing costs. In FY09, the subcommittee included my report language urging the VA to assess the viability of increasing the plot allowance and burial benefits to cover the same percentage of veterans' burial benefits that they covered in 1973, when they were first initiated. The Department of Veterans Affairs has still not yet heeded our recommendations. I'm glad the subcommittee recognizes the importance of the issue and has again included the burial benefits report language.”