Dear Friend, 

Here with a few updates and some good news after another active week. Welcome to the weekend, and thank you for making our newsletter a part of it, as always.

Honoring a Local Veteran in Westbrook

One of the services my office and our Veterans Casework Representative Manny Meneses (USN ret.) provide to eastern CT veterans is tracking down the medals they earned through distinguished service to our nation. A few days ago in Westbrook, I was honored to present Specialist Carl F. Carlson (US Army Ret.), with several of the medals he earned through the course of his service during the Vietnam War. Manny was contacted by Ms. Elizabeth Carpenter, the extremely able social services director in the town of Westbrook asking him for help for medal recovery for one of her town residents. At the small but meaningful ceremony. Ms. Carpenter and Westbrook First Selectman John Hall joined Mr. Carlson and a group of local veterans to honor his service.

During the Vietnam War, Specialist Carlson served as a member of the U.S. Army’s famed 1st Infantry Division, ”The Big Red One”. At home, he was also assigned to the 34th and 24th Infantry Divisions.

Specialist Carlson resides in Westbrook today, and from March 1967 to March 1969 he served with the U.S. Army’s 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam, also known as “The Big Red One”—a group of highly capable servicemembers, and the first Division to be called deploy to Vietnam because of their level of readiness. Specialist Carlson answered the call to serve our nation, and he did so bravely while supporting the young men who served alongside him—he earned the Bronze Star Medal, awarded for heroic achievement and service inside of a combat zone. I was incredibly grateful to present Specialist Carlson with his Bronze Star, as well as with the Army Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with 4 Bronze Stars, the Combat Infantryman Badge 1st Award, a Sharpshooter Badge, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Ribbon. We should never forget, and always be grateful for the service of Americans such as these.

If you or someone you know needs help tracking down service medals, give my Norwich office a call at (860) 886-0139. 

New Assistance to Firefighters Grants

More great news for our local first responders this week, as we welcomed home five new federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) awards to our local departments in Chester, Preston, New London, Norwich, and Stafford. Each of these new federal awards were dispersed through FEMA, they’re highly competitive and sought-after by fire departments nationwide, and our departments went out and earned them. Now, the funding will help them purchase new safety equipment, lifesaving medical devices, training, and more.

Rep. Courtney has worked to support eastern CT firefighters for many years—from supporting grant applications, to advancing bipartisan legislation like the Fire Police Fairness Act and the Protecting Our First Responders Act, and more

The AFG program is a versatile tool, and with more than $887,000 in total grant funding our local fire stations will be able to put it to good use. The Chester Hose Company received an AFG award of $127,428, which will help them purchase new Firefighter Breathing Apparatuses for protection against toxins and smoke. In Preston, the Poquetanuck Volunteer Fire Department will receive $45,714 in AFG funding to purchase new, lifesaving CPR Compression Devices. The West Stafford Fire Department will use their AFG award of $18,571 to buy a new industrial washer and dryer to thoroughly wash firefighting gear of harmful residuals. The New London and Norwich Fire Departments received AFG awards of $95,545 and $379,901, respectively—both departments will use the funding to carry out training for their firefighters.

On the heels of newly enhanced benefits for firefighters and police officers through the bipartisan Protecting Our First Responders Act (PAFRA), signed into law earlier this year, these new AFG awards represent another important source of federal support for our firefighters. For more information on these new grants, click here.

The Inflation Reduction Act Will Bring Serious Savings to Eastern CT

The Inflation Reduction Act we passed last month is going to lower health care costs for seniors, and for lots of workers and families in a way that really makes a difference for people. The first of its cost-savings provisions will start kicking-in here soon at the start of 2023, and we’ll see lowered health care costs across the board as we move forward over the next several years through expanded drug price negotiations, caps on out-of-pocket costs, and more. I was proud to help get this bill done in Congress. Take a look at some of the estimates of how it’s going to make people’s lives a lot easier in eastern Connecticut. 

• Savings on Health Care Plans — By extending critical American Rescue Plan Act tax credits set to expire this year, the Inflation Reduction Act will help 17,000 people in CT-02 currently enrolled in subsidized marketplace health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act save an average of $1,520 in premiums starting next year. 
  • A family in the district with two adults, two children, and a household income of $75,000 could save $2,832 on their premiums next year. 
  • A single-parent household with one adult, one child, and a household income of $30,000 could save $1,260 on their premiums next year.  
  • A household of two adults over the age of 60 with a joint income of $70,000 could save $21,576 on their premiums next year. 

• A Cap on Out-of-Pocket Costs — The Inflation Reduction Act caps Medicare beneficiaries’ annual out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs covered by Medicare Part D at $2,000 per year starting in 2025. An estimated 3,000 Medicare Part D beneficiaries in CT-02 had out-of-pocket costs above $2,000 in 2020.  
• A Limit on Insulin Costs — For the estimated 5,800 Medicare beneficiaries receiving insulin in eastern Connecticut, the new law will cap monthly co-payments for insulin products at $35 per month. 
• Negotiating for Lower Drug Prices — The Inflation Reduction Act finally allows for Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices with prescription drug manufacturers. Negotiations will begin with the ten most-used drugs, and will grow to more over the next decade. If the Inflation Reduction Act’s drug pricing provisions had been fully in effect in 2020: 
  • The total cost of prescriptions filled by Medicare beneficiaries in the district could have been $30 million lower. 
  • Medicare beneficiaries in the district could have saved a total of $9 million in reduced premiums and out-of-pocket costs.

We’ll continue to provide updates here on the Inflation Reduction Act. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to give my office a call.

A New Location for Veterans Services in Chaplin 

We’re lucky to have such a large community of veterans in eastern Connecticut – the largest of any congressional district in the state. We also have an incredible community who are ready to step up and support our vets and their families. Last week, I visited Veterans Base Camp for the official ribbon cutting of their new property in Chaplin. Veterans Base Camp is a non-profit made up of volunteers who provide individualized support services to veterans in moments of transition. In Chaplin, they’ll offer their R.E.S.E.T. supportive veterans housing program, mental health interventions, and a food pantry serving veterans and their families across Connecticut and New England.

Last week, Rep. Courtney took part in the official Ribbon cutting of the new location for Veterans Base Camp in Chaplin

It’s really remarkable that groups like Veterans Base Camp are able to provide the services that they do eastern Connecticut veterans through volunteer work and community support. When they were in danger of losing a physical location, public donations helped them move into this new location in Chaplin. Veterans have made incredible sacrifices for America – the very least we owe them is assistance when they come home or are in periods of transition later in life.

From Chaplin, Veterans Base Camp provides individualized support services to veterans

My team and I work on the ground in eastern Connecticut and in Congress to bring veterans care and support services to vets in all corners of the Second District. It’s great to see Veterans Base Camp provide these services from Chaplin!

Thanks as always for taking some time to read my update! If we can be of any assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out to my Norwich office at (860) 886-0139. Happy Labor Day, and enjoy the long weekend!

Sincerely,

Joe Courtney
Member of Congress

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