Washington, DC - Democratic Senators Patty Murray, Carl Levin and Daniel Akaka held a press conference today to discuss the passage of the Department of Defense Authorization Conference Report.  This legislation will provide much needed support for our men and women in uniform and our returning veterans.

"This is a major step toward real change," said Murray, a Member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.  "By passing the Wounded Warriors Act, we are moving aggressively to make sure that these men and women are treated well when they come home.  This bill provides real solutions for our troops and veterans from the battlefield to the VA and everywhere in between."

Said Levin, the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee: "Our priorities in this bill are threefold: care, readiness, and management.  First, care will guarantee that our troops have the best health care and support, both on the battlefield and once they return home.  Second, readiness will ensure that our armed forces succeed both in ongoing operations and taking on new challenges in future missions.  And third, management will provide oversight for defense contracts, operations, and processes to ensure efficiency and maximize results."

"This bill honors the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform and their families," said Akaka, Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee and senior Member of the Armed Services Committee.  "Our wounded warriors, who have sacrificed so much for this nation, will benefit from provisions in this bill that will expand treatment and research for the signature injuries of these wars, traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, and traumatic eye injuries.  In addition, this bill ensures that combat veterans will receive treatment for invisible wounds such as PTSD with guaranteed mental health evaluations within 30 days of their request.  The word for this bill is unprecedented.  Unprecedented cooperation between the Armed Services and Veterans Committees to ease the burden on our returning servicemembers as they leave active duty, improving care, management, and transition of recovering members.  The bill will also take firm steps toward preventing waste, fraud and abuse by DoD contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan, an issue that is vital to the safety of our troops in the war zone."    

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