Welch adds ombudsman posts to veterans bill

WASHINGTON — Rep. Peter Welch, D-VT, in an amendment offered during a floor vote on the so-called "Wounded Warrior Assistance Act" will create an ombudsman

to improve health care for recovering soldiers. Welch also introduced his own legislation that will further improve the care given to our injured service members.

"The purpose of my amendment is to help assure that recovering members of our military and their families are made aware of the health care resources that are available to them," said Welch. "Our government makes a pact with service members that when they return home they will get the care they deserve.”

Welch believes the increased outreach provided by his amendment will improve the medical care case manager and service member advocate provisions in bill. It is Welch's first floor amendment as a new member of the House.

The bill, which passed unanimously, creates a new system of case managers, advocates and counselors for wounded service members returning from combat overseas to help them get the care they need and to help navigate the military's health care bureaucracy. The bill also establishes a toll-free hotline for reporting deficiencies in medical facilities, and creates a new system to transfer more efficiently soldiers' medical records from the Defense Department to the Veterans' Affairs (VA) Department.

Welch's amendment will do two things:

• Requires that the Defense Secretary to conduct outreach to all service members and their families, advising them that the medical care case manager and service member advocate positions are there to help; and,
• Ensures that the medical case manager and service member advocate have the resources they need to carry out their duties.

Welch also introduced the "Veterans' Care Advocate Act," which would create an ombudsman in each military medical facility to assist in the care and overall well-being of recovering service members.

"The ombudsman will help patients and their families overcome bureaucratic entanglements and ensure they receive the care they need. If the system breaks down, the ombudsman will go to bat on their behalf and cut through the bureaucracy," said Welch.

The legislation also requires regular reporting requirements and oversight on the status of the effectiveness of the ombudsman program.

Downtown Board awards $300,000 to five communities

MONTPELIER – Five Vermont communities will share more than $300,000 in grants to improve transportation infrastructure in their downtowns.

On March 26, the Vermont Downtown Development Board awarded the grants from the Downtown Transportation Fund, which was created by the Legislature in 1998 to support the revitalization of the state’s downtowns.

“These projects will help realize Governor Douglas’ goal of revitalizing our downtowns by promoting economic activity and additional private investment,” said Kevin Dorn, chairman of the Downtown Development Board and secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. “And they are investments in smart growth, which is a key part of the governor’s development strategy.”

Awards were made to:

Rutland — $75,000 for new streetlights on Center Street;
St Johnsbury — $75,000 to support the rehabilitation of the historic train station as a welcome center;
St Albans — $66,574 for sidewalk replacement in Taylor Park;
Middlebury — $70,000 for streetscape improvements;
Morrisville — $25,000 for new streetlights on Copley Street.

At the same meeting the board renewed the “designated downtown” status for Brandon and Vergennes.

“The board was particularly impressed with the great progress made in these two downtowns over the past few years,” Dorn said. “They have done a great job, and we are pleased to recognize their work and vision.”

In order to obtain or retain downtown designation, a community must demonstrate a long-term commitment to revitalization through planning, capital improvements, economic development, and preservation of historic resources.

The community must also have an established downtown organization devoted to managing the revitalization effort — from setting work priorities to organizing volunteers and raising the funds necessary to support its work.

As two of the state’s 22 designated downtowns, these communities are eligible to apply for a variety of programs to assist revitalization projects, including the Downtown Transportation Fund, and tax credits for the rehabilitation of older and historic buildings and for safety and code compliance.

Finally, the Board also renewed “designated village center” status for Barton and Peacham, which are among the 73 village centers participating in the program. These designations are renewed every three years.

Posted March 29, 2007

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