Vallejo Times-Herald - Thompson bill helping vets, families with medical bills heads to President

Rep. Mike Thompson's (D-St. Helena) bipartisan legislation to help veterans and their families save for and afford health care passed the Senate on Thursday and will likely be signed into law by the President, Thompson's office announced.

The bill was co-authored by Rep. Sam Johnson of Texas.

The Help Veterans Save for Health Care Act, passed as part of H.R. 3236, the Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015.

Thompson's bill will allow veterans with supplemental health care coverage and who also receive Veterans Administration care for a service-connected disability, to participate in a Health Savings Account. Under current IRS regulations, veterans and their families are prohibited from making and/or receiving contributions to such accounts for three months after getting health care services through the VA for a service-connected disability.

"This is a commonsense, bipartisan bill that will help make sure veterans and their families aren't left on the hook for health care expenses they'd otherwise be covered for just because they received care from the VA," Thompson said. "Making sure veterans have the same rights as other taxpayers to pay for their health care costs is the right thing to do for those who served our country in uniform."