WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, introduced the Veterans Rehabilitation and Training Improvements Act of 2009. 

"Veterans disabled in our current wars are transitioning from military service into a challenging economy that is contracting at historic rates.  This bill will give these new veterans more of the help they need by increasing program flexibility and boosting the living stipend for disabled veterans undergoing rehabilitation.  These men and women have paid the cost of war, and now we must do more to assist them as they transition back into civilian life," said Akaka.  

Chairman Akaka's veterans' rehabilitation bill would:

• Allow the VA Vocational Rehabilitation program more flexibility in paying for rehabilitation-related expenses incurred by recovering veterans who successfully complete programs;
• Boost the living stipend for veterans undergoing rehabilitation, which will narrow the difference between the vocational rehab stipend and the 21st Century GI Bill; and
• Remove the annual cap on the number of veterans who may enroll in VA's Independent Living program, which assists severely-disabled veterans in achieving greater independence in their daily lives. 
  

To view Chairman Akaka's floor statement on the bill, click here.

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March 3, 2009