[nfbmi-talk] Action Request, Equal Access to Air Travel for Service-Disabled Veterans

[Joe Sontag]

As many of you know, one of our national legislative priorities for 2013 is HR164, the Space Available Act, which would give 100% service-disabled veterans the same access to free transportation on military aircraft on a space available basis that is extended to members of the active military, some family members, Red Cross employees,
and retired members of the armed services.

While at Washington Seminar, we received especially positive responses from the offices of Congressmen Dan Kildee and Mike Rogers; and I believe both of them will sign on as co-sponsors of HR164 if they hear from enough of us.

I ask only that you take a little time to phone or e-mail these Representatives and ask for their support.  Below, I've included the necessary contact information and the text of the factsheet that we distributed to Congress.  For those who plan to make contact by e-mail, be sure to put the following in the subject line:

please cosponsor HR 164 to support service disabled veterans.

In the body of your email, you should include the following sentence.

Miriam Keim in Congressman Bilirikis's office would be able to add the Congressman to this important bill.

 Feel free to contact me at:

suncat0 at gmail.com

or by phone at:
(517) 256-2514
if you have questions.

Joe Sontag,
Second Vice President,
National Federation of the Blind of Michigan

Congressman Mike Rogers (R
Adrian Foster
Adrian.foster at mail.house.gov
202-225-4872

Congressman Daniel Kildee (D
John Blair
John.blair at mail.house.gov
202-225-3611

Equal Access to Air Travel for Service-Disabled Veterans (HR 164)
The Space Available Program denies 100 percent of
Service-Disabled Veterans the opportunity to participate.
Discharged service-disabled veterans are not entitled to air travel privileges to
which other members of the military have access.
The Space Available Program
allows members of the active military, some family members, Red Cross employees,
and retired members of the armed services to travel on military aircraft if space
is available.  However, members of the military who are 100 percent service disabled
do not qualify for this program because they do not fall into one of those categories.
This unintentional exclusion denies discharged service-disabled veterans a privilege
to which they would be entitled had they not been disabled during service.
Those service members who are disabled during active duty and are medically discharged
do not have the chance to stay on active duty or fulfill the twenty years requirement
to become qualified for this program.  Had they not been medically discharged, 100
percent service-disabled veterans are likely to have served until retirement. These
men and women have earned the right to space-available travel just as others have
because they have defended our country.
Equal Access to Air Travel for Service-Disabled Veterans would:
Provide travel privileges to totally disabled veterans.
This bill amends Title 10 of the U.S. Code, to permit veterans who have a service-connected,
permanent disability rated as total to travel on military aircraft in the same manner
and to the same extent as retired members of the Armed Forces entitled to such travel.
HONOR OUR SERVICE-DISABLED VETERANS WITH
PRIVILEGES THEY ARE ENTITLED TO.
Cosponsor HR 164.
To cosponsor the bill, contact:
Mirium Keim, Legislative Assistant
Office of Congressman Bilirakis (R-FL)
Phone: (202) 225-5755 email:
mirium.keim at mail.house.gov
For more information contact:
Jesse Hartle, Government Affairs Specialist
National Federation of the Blind
Phone: (410) 659-9314, Extension 2233 email:
jhartle at nfb.org