Mr. Speaker, as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Benefits of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am pleased to introduce H.R. 4659, the ``USERRA Health Care Coverage Extension Act of 2004.'' I…
Mr. Speaker, as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Benefits of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am pleased to introduce H.R. 4659, the ``USERRA Health Care Coverage Extension Act of 2004.'' I introduce this measure jointly with Representative Michael Michaud, ranking member of the Benefits Subcommittee.
The bill would increase to 24 months, up from 18 months, the maximum period of employer-provided health care coverage that an employee covered by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) may elect to continue to receive while mobilized as a reservist or Guard member. This legislation would also reinstate reporting requirements for the Department of Labor in consultation with the Office of Special Counsel and the Department of Justice on USERRA cases.
Mr. Speaker, due to the technical nature of this bill, I have kept it in draft form until now. This approach has afforded the Committee on Veterans' Affairs the opportunity to take testimony on the bill, today in fact, as part of a hearing titled, ``Protecting the Rights of Those Who Protect Us: Public Sector Compliance with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) and Improvements to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA).'' I am grateful to Chairman Christopher Smith and ranking member Lane Evans for convening today's hearing because America has mobilized 387,986 reserve and Guard members in support of Operation
Noble Eagle, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. We need to continue to assist these selfless individuals. About 153,000 of them are still mobilized.
At today's hearing on the draft legislation, six Administration officials testified to the overall support of the bill. Craig Duehring, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, stated in his testimony that, ``Increasing from 18 months to 24 months the maximum period of employer-provided health care plan coverage that an employee covered by USERRA may elect to continue is an important amendment that will align this coverage period with the length of time for which reservists can be mobilized under the current mobilization authority.''
The extension of health care coverage will be especially helpful to federal government employees. Dan Blair, Deputy Director of the Office of Personnel Management, informed the Committee this morning that, ``Last year, we asked agencies how much of the Federal Employees Health Benefits they pay for these reservists. I am pleased to report most agencies pay both shares. Of the 114 agencies surveyed, 96 pay the full premium.'' The ``full premium'' means the employer-employee share. The federal government needs to be the model employer when it comes to reserve and Guard members.
With regard to reinstating the reporting requirements for the Department of Labor, Office of Special Counsel, and Department of Justice, all three supported this measure. In fact, Mr. Charles Ciccolella, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment and Training at the Department of Labor, stated in his testimony that, ``In the past, the Department found this requirement to be useful.''
With the documented support of the ``USERRA Health Care: Coverage Extension Act of 2004,'' I encourage my colleagues to add their names in support of this timely legislation.
