WAR IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : More Benefits for Veterans Approved

The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee voted to double the maximum amount of life insurance provided to military personnel and to ensure that medical benefits are available to veterans of the Gulf War. The legislation, approved unanimously, would open some existing veterans’ benefits to all who served in conflicts after the Vietnam War, including the invasions of Grenada and Panama. The bills are expected to be considered by the Senate later this month. The coverage to veterans offered under Servicemen’s Group Life Insurance would increase to $100,000 from $50,000. Another provision of the proposed legislation would allow doctors and nurses who retired from the federal government to work temporarily in VA facilities without jeopardizing their retirement benefits.