Veterans

Veterans have given a great deal to this country and helped make it what it is today. Their service has sustained democracy and embraced freedom around the world. We owe them and their families a great debt.

According to the Veterans Administration (VA) in Washington, of the 25 million veterans currently alive, nearly three of every four served during a war or an official period of hostility. About a quarter of the nation's population, approximately 70 million people, are potentially eligible for VA benefits and services because they are veterans, family members or survivors of veterans.

Iwo Jima Memorial in Washington, D.C.

With such a large population to serve, it's incumbent that the VA receive the necessary funding to ensure that we're providing the service that they need. As a result, I fully support the President's FY 2008 budget request of $86.75 billion, which is an increase of 2.8%, or $2.35 billion dollars over last year’s appropriated amount.

I also believe that we need to keep an eye on the VA healthcare system to ensure that our veterans are receiving the best medical care that we can give them.

Current Legislation (Updated September 24, 2007)

H.R. 1538, Wounded Warrior Assistance Act of 2007: This bill unanimously passed the House on March 28, 2007 by a vote of 426 to 0. The purpose of the bill is to improve the management of medical care, personnel actions, and quality of life issues for members of the Armed Forces who are receiving medical care in an outpatient status.

The Washington Post published a series of articles detailing the care, or lack thereof, of soldiers and Marines in the outpatient care system at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. There’s no easy way to talk about what happened at Walter Reed. There’s certainly no way for us to make it up to those who have been patients at the facility or to their families. Simply put, this is something that should not have taken place. This bill should alleviate many of the problems encountered by our wounded.

The bill passed in the Senate on July 25, 2007.

H. Res. 111, Establishing a Select Committee on POW and MIA Affairs: I'm a co-sponsor of this legislation that was introduced to create a select committee to conduct a full investigation of all unresolved matters relating to any United States personnel unaccounted for from the Vietnam era, the Korean conflict, World War II, Cold War Missions, or Gulf War, including MIA's and POW's.

Over 88,000 American military personnel are still unaccounted for from military conflicts during the 20^th century. It's imperative that we continue to look for new information on American POWs and MIAs that can help thousands of families who only want to find the truth about their loved ones.