Wyden introduces two military-related bills

Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and John Boozman, R-Ark., along with Rep. Mark Takano, D-Ca., introduced Thursday the GI Bill Fairness Act, legislation that would ensure wounded Guardsmen and Reservists receive the GI Bill benefits they’ve earned.

Members of the Guard or Reserve who are wounded in combat are often given orders under 10 USC 12301(h) for their recovery, treatment and rehabilitation.

Unfortunately, federal law does not recognize such orders as eligible for Post-9/11 GI Bill education assistance, meaning that unlike other members of the military, these members of the Guard and Reserve actually lose benefits for being injured in the line of duty.

The GI Bill Fairness Act would end that unequal treatment and ensure these service members are eligible for the same GI Bill benefits as active duty members of the military.

“By disqualifying wounded Guardsmen and Reservist from benefits they should be earning, this quirk in law is literally adding insult to injury” Wyden said. “That’s not anything I want to support, and our commonsense, bipartisan legislation will fix this problem by making sure these brave Americans get the benefits they’ve earned.”

“It is truly unjust to deny wounded and injured service members the ability to accrue educational benefits for the time they spend receiving medical care. Today, I am proud to join Sen. Wyden and Rep. Takano in sponsoring legislation that fixes this oversight in the law,” Boozman said.

“Many Guardsmen and Reservists serve in nearly the same capacity as active duty service members, and we should treat them equally if they are injured while putting their life on the line for our country,” Rep. Takano said. “This legislation would ensure those members get the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits they deserve. No veteran should lose their benefits simply because they were in the National Guard or Reserves. I’m proud to introduce this legislation in the House, and I hope that Democrats and Republicans can come together to treat these heroes with the respect they deserve.”

Identical versions of the legislation were introduced Thursday in both the Senate and the House. Text of the Senate bill text can be found here.

Wyden also introduced legislation Thursday that would require the Defense Department to use the most up-to-date military medical training methods, and to phase out the outdated and unnecessary use of live animals in combat trauma courses for U.S. armed forces.

Even while new high-tech simulators, like the “Cut Suit,” can reproduce the feeling, appearance and even smell of combat injuries, the Department of Defense still relies on outdated training methods that kill or injure roughly 8,500 goats and pigs every year, as part of training for medics in the armed forces, according to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

The Battlefield Excellence through Superior Training (BEST) Practices Act ensures the military employs the most up-to-date training methods available by encouraging use of these simulators and phasing out the use of live animals over the next five years.

“Our soldiers deserve nothing less than medics with access to the most modern, effective training available. Killing live animals is unnecessary and counterproductive when better methods of training are already being used,” Wyden said. “This bill makes sure our military medics are trained using the newest – and best – technology on the market so they know exactly what to do when it counts.”

A 2014 study by the U.S. Air Force comparing simulators and pigs concluded that “artificial simulator and live animal training produce equivalent levels of self-efficacy after initial training.” More than 95 percent of civilian trauma programs already use simulators instead of animals.

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., cosponsored the bill. Wyden first introduced the bill in 2012. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., introduced a similar version of the bill today in the House of Representatives.