Veterans
“On the battlefield, our military pledges to leave no soldier behind. As a nation, we must make that same pledge for every veteran.”
- Rep. Judy Chu
I believe we can and must do more to ease access to veteran’s benefits and address the problems of veterans’ unemployment and homelessness. That’s why I am committed to supporting programs that help veterans receive job training and transitional services, as well as their education, health, disability and retirement benefits.
As our service members return from Iraq and Afghanistan, we are faced with new challenges in providing quality health care and helping new veterans transition back to the workforce. These men and women have sacrificed so much for the sake of our country; and its important that we care for them when they return home. We also have an ongoing obligation to older veterans to ensure they receive the services they need to avoid homelessness.
My priorities for our nation's heroes include:
Protecting Veterans Benefits
Helping Veterans Transition Back to Work
Ending Veteran Homelessness
From tuition to pensions, and everything in between, veterans’ benefits are indispensible lifelines for our nation’s heroes. These benefits provide access to a wide variety of resources to help veterans and their families cope with the many challenges of life. That is why I am cosponsoring legislation and supporting efforts to protect and strengthen veterans’ benefits.
- Reducing VA claims backlog in the L.A. area. In 2011, I joined colleagues in requesting that the Government Accountability Office conduct a special study to determine the reasons for the delays in appointment scheduling and benefits processing within the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Los Angeles Regional Office.
- The Rating and Processing Individuals’ Disability (RAPID) Claims Act of 2011 (H.R. 2377) shortens the benefits claims backlog. This bill allows veterans to waive the claim development period on certain claims, mandates speedier communication between the VA and veterans about their claims, and expedites the VA’s treatment of claims in order to reduce the crippling backlog in benefits. This bill also would get much needed benefits into veterans’ hands faster.
- The National Guardsmen and Reservists Parity for Patriots Act (H.R. 181) makes retirement benefits available sooner. This bill gives service credit to Guardsmen and Reservists who have been mobilized for service since September 11, 2001. Backdating the period of active duty for these service members enables them to receive their retirement benefits earlier. This is an important tool in planning for the well-being of tens of thousands of new veterans.
Helping Veterans Transition Back to Work
Some veterans struggle to find a job that meets their skills after returning home from war. Unfortunately, the current economic climate has compounded the situation and current VA programs are insufficient to help Veterans get through these difficult times.
In 2011, I voted for key veterans’ jobs provisions, including those in President Obama’s American Jobs Act. These provsiions, contained in H.R.674, is fully paid for and was signed into law on November 12, 2011. This bill provides tax credits for businesses that hire unemployed veterans or veterans with service-connected disabilities. It also takes steps to provide all service-members transitioning to civilian lifey the job training and skills they need to find a job. Specific provisions include:
- A tax credit of up to $2,400 for businesses hiring veterans who are unemployed for more than 4 weeks, and $5,600 for veterans who have been looking for a job for more than six months.
- A tax credit of up to $9,600 for businesses hiring veterans with service-connected disabilities who have been looking for a job for more than six months.
- Expanded education and training opportunities for older veterans with up to 1-year of additional Montgomery GI benefits to go towards education or training programs at community colleges or technical schools.
The Veterans Retraining Act (H.R. 1168) ensures that out of work veterans can afford vital retraining programs. I am cosponsoring this bill to provide a living stipend and moving assistance to veterans who have been unemployed for at least 4 months and are enrolled in a U.S. Department of Labor re-training program.
Ending Veteran Homelessness
In these challenging economic times, returning veterans are experiencing unemployment rates in the double digits. Veterans who are unable to secure employment often end up becoming homeless. In the effort to help address this issue, I am cosponsoring several important bills that seek to reduce homelessness among our veterans.
- The Homes for Heroes Act of 2011 (H.R. 287) increases cooperation and coordination between the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the VA to strengthen veterans’ access to housing and homeless assistance programs.
- The Helping Homeless Heroes Act of 2011 (H.R. 2559) reauthorizes the only nation-wide employment assistance program dedicated to homeless veterans – the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program. It also strengthens traditional housing and community partnership housing, and expands benefits to the minor children of homeless veterans.
Contact Me
E-newsletter Sign Up
Help with a Federal Agency
On the Issues
Voting Record