Veterans
Veterans
The best way to honor our nation’s veterans is to keep the promises we made to them. Our country is deeply indebted to its veterans, who have fought with courage and valor to protect the world from tyranny and to defend the freedoms that Americans hold so dearly.
Since being elected to Congress in 1992, I have fought to provide veterans with the health benefits they were promised. The men and women who put their lives on the line for our country did so with the understanding that we would take care of them in their time of need, and Congress has a moral obligation to improve the military health system.
Military retirees should have lifetime access to the Defense Department’s TRICARE health care system. I have also supported efforts to provide America’s veterans with the same access to health care that other federal employees receive and have pushed for legislation that would guarantee adequate veterans’ health care funding, rather than subjecting the health care of our nation’s veterans to partisan Congressional politics.
Since 2007, Congress has added $23 billion for veterans’ health care and services and has provided a 60 percent increased in VA discretionary funding.
I have been a stronger supporter of recent legislation that have greatly improved services for veterans, including:
- Post 9/11 G.I. Bill - the greatest overhaul of the G.I. bill in over 20 years, covering the cost of a college education at a public university. Since August 2009, the VA has issued Post-9/11 G.I. Bill benefits to almost 250,000 individuals and $1.2 billion in education benefits have been paid to veteran students.
- Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act - which creates a program to offer caregiver training, access to mental health counseling, and 24-hour respite care in the veteran’s home.
- Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act - provides essential reforms to bring the claims processing system up-to-date for more accurate and timely delivery of benefits to veterans, families, and survivors.
- End Veteran Homelessness Act – increases funding to successful programs for homeless veterans, requires each VA medical center that provides supporting housing services to provide housing counselors, strengthens permanent housing programs, and pays special interest to the needs of homeless women veterans and homeless veterans with children.
Providing quality care and services to our veterans is one of my top priorities. On the battlefield, the military pledges to leave no soldier behind. And with this national investment, we will begin to fulfill our pledge that when they return home, we leave no veteran behind.
See also information on Veterans benefits.