<p>Sen. Chuck Grassley introduced a bill today to make sure the federal government gives fair treatment to veterans who are farmers and in need of health care services.</p>
<p>"Those who have fought for our freedoms deserve fair access to available veterans benefits. Farmer-veterans who are strapped for cash shouldn't be disqualified because of their farm assets," Grassley said.</p>
<p>Iowa's senior senator said legislation is needed to change the way in which the Department of Veterans Affairs determines a farmer-veteran's eligibility for health services. Right now, the VA uses an monetary guideline to determine assets – including farm holdings and farm equipment – that disqualifies farmer-veterans even when they're in desperate straights with little, or no, income.</p>
<p>Current law states that the government is only supposed to require such sales when they can be made a "no substantial sacrifice" to the veteran. However, Grassley said that in practice, the VA has not recognized the harmful effect of selling off the sole source of livelihood in a farm and is unlikely to make a change in its approach without direction from Congress.</p>
<p>"Farm land and machinery can cause some farmer-veterans to appear well-off on paper. Yet, as Iowa farm families are painfully aware, farm income in lean years can make them cash-poor. The asset limitations test used by the VA puts them an unfair disadvantage," Grassley said. "A farm family can't be expected to sell off farm machinery or farm land to receive medical attention at the veteran's health care facility in the even there is not enough money to allow the VA to serve them without charging the full cost of the service."</p>
<p>Grassley's legislation would exclude the value of real property of a veteran, or a veteran's spouse or dependent, in determining how a veteran's eligibility for health care from the VA is classified. Under current law, their land value makes them "Category 7" veterans. "That means they have to pay co-payments even if they don't have a dime of income. And it means that they are totally ineligible if Congress and the administration don't pony up enough money to continue providing care for Category 7 veterans. This bill will take these farmer-veterans completely out of that situation," Grassley said.</p>
<p>In April, Grassley organized a meeting in Des Moines of local veterans officers and officials from the VA to bring this issue to the attention of the VA. He wanted to determine if the problem could be resolved through regulatory changes or if it would require a legislative fix. Grassley said the problem was brought to his attention by Larry Sundall, who is a county veterans service officer in Emmet County.</p>
<p>"The federal government needs to keep its commitments. When these servicemen signed up for military duty in their youth, they were told the federal government would be there for them long after their military service ended," Grassley said.</p>
<p>The assets limitation test has put Iowa farm families in a bind before. During the 1980s, college-bound kids of many farm families were wedged out of guaranteed student loans because of their parents' farm assets, even though they may have qualified based on income. Grassley took action at that time on behalf of these families.</p>