North Carolina Congressman Greg Murphy recently met with New Bern constituent and retired Army Sergeant Eric Edmundson, highlighting a significant push in Washington for military benefits reform.
Edmundson, a New Bern resident who suffered a severe anoxic brain injury from an IED blast in Iraq in 2005, is the local namesake behind the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act.
The proposed legislation targets gaps in the Department of Veterans Affairs' assistance programs by providing an extra $10,000 dollars annually for catastrophically injured veterans who require full-time, at-home care.
Barbara Burt with Gold Star Wives of America testified in support of the bill earlier this year. “When the spouse returned broken in body, in spirit, or in a flag draped casket, they stepped forward into a life of caregiving, loss, economic instability without hesitation," she said, "They served a nation that has not always served them.”
Currently advancing through the House, H.R. 6047 would modernize survivor benefits and expand VA home loan access for National Guard members and reservists.
