Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) is reintroducing legislation to ensure veterans and their families know about federal benefits to which they are entitled.  Feingold’s Veteran Outreach Improvement Act would improve current outreach programs by requiring the Veterans Administration (VA) to set aside special funds for veteran outreach efforts, create an intra-agency structure to identify those veterans who are not currently receiving their benefits, and provide grants to state, local and non-profit agencies that conduct outreach to veterans and their families.  Feingold’s legislation was inspired by the overwhelming response to the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs’ “I Owe You” program, which encourages veterans to apply, or to re-apply, for benefits that they earned from their service in the military.  If thousands of Wisconsin veterans are unaware of benefits that may be owed to them, as this program indicated, many veterans around our country may also be unaware of these benefits.

“Nearly every day I learn of current and former members of the Armed Forces in my state who are not aware of services and benefits they have earned through their service to our country,” said Feingold.  “This bill will help ensure that veterans get the services and benefits they need.  Conducting outreach is more important than ever as we welcome home tens of thousands of dedicated military personnel who are serving in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other places around the globe.”

Advocating for those who have served in uniform is one of Feingold’s top priorities and he has introduced this legislation every Congress for six years.  A companion bill has been introduced by Representative Mike McIntyre (D-NC) in the House of Representatives and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is an original cosponsor of the legislation in the Senate.  The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee has also included a provision in the 2010 omnibus veterans health care bill, S. 252, based, in part, on this legislation introduced by Senator Feingold.