I am deeply troubled by those who misrepresent their military experience for personal gain, and I believe that their actions do a great disservice to members of our military.  That is why I became an original cosponsor of the Stolen Valor Act in 2006.  In light of the Supreme Court’s ruling that struck down that law, I will once again put my full support behind those service members who bravely fought and sacrificed for our country.  The Military Service Integrity Act will ensure that the sacrifices and valor of those who have served is not cheapened by con artists and liars who seek to take advantage of the public’s respect for our troops and veterans.

I worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that post-9/11 veterans across the country - including over 5,000 in Colorado - know they are potentially eligible for higher medical benefits or even full medical retirement. After my request to VA Secretary Eric Shinseki in August, the Defense Department will team with the VA to let recent veterans know they can appeal the disability decision made when they left the military. Colorado has the reviewing board's third-largest eligible population of veterans in the country, and I want to ensure each of them has a chance to get the benefits they should have earned to begin with.

On Nov. 3, 2011, I co-sponsored Senator Tom Udall's bipartisan Open Burn Pit Registry Act (S.1798) because our service members overseas are too frequently exposed to toxic fumes and chemicals from burn pits used to incinerate trash including human waste, plastic, batteries, scrap metals, solvents, and other potentially hazardous materials. We must do more to track and identify those exposed to hazardous chemicals from burn pits, to allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to better understand and treat the threat posed by exposure to these fumes. Our servicemen and women put their lives on the line for our safety, and in return we have promised to provide them with the best possible care. I will always fight to protect and promote the health of our men and women in uniform. 

Our service members and their families sacrifice everything for our security, and they deserve the best care we can provide for them. With post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) affecting so many of our returning service members, it is especially important that we address these hidden wounds of war. That is why I recently introduced two amendments to the Fiscal Year 2011 National Defense Authorization Act to improve the quality and accessibility of behavioral health care available to these heroes. One amendment would extend suicide-prevention services to active-duty troops and veterans in Colorado and across the country. The second would expand a behavioral health pilot program, which has been successful at Fort Carson, making it available to at least three other Army installations. When it comes to behavioral health care, the military has made significant progress. But the fact remains that too many of our troops return from service suffering from PTSD or TBI and struggle to get access to the care they need. I will always fight to ensure service members and veterans get the care they were promised and that they have earned.

Expanding Health Coverage for Our Military Families: As part of health insurance reform, which was signed into law March 2010, young adults are eligible to remain on their parents' health insurance policies up to age 26. In April 2010, I introduced the TRICARE Dependent Coverage Extension Act, to make certain that families of our armed service members are not left behind when it comes to this important benefit. Extending insurance to cover young Americans until age 26 is critical, especially as they make the transition into the tough job market.  Signed into law in December 2010, my bill now provides families who get their coverage through TRICARE - the military's insurance program - with the same benefit.

Approximately 33 percent of retired veterans in Colorado lose over $75 million in benefits each year as a result of the unfair "Disabled Veterans Tax." This is unacceptable, and I have co-sponsored the bipartisan Retired Pay Restoration Act (S. 546) to allow the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability. This bill would effectively end this tax and restore full benefits to thousands of veterans in Colorado. I will continue to work with members of both parties and the President until this tax is eliminated.

In 2009, I co-sponsored a bipartisan bill (S. 535) to ensure full benefits for the surviving spouses of military retirees who paid into the Survivor Benefits Plan. Currently, service members pay a premium so that their surviving spouses will continue to have income from the plan, but the amount the spouse receives is offset by any money received from dependency and indemnity compensation, which is compensation for a service-connected death and the resulting economic loss. This legislation would end that unfair practice.

For many years, I have fought alongside the veterans' community in Colorado to build a stand-alone VA medical center to replace the current aging facility. In 2009, I urged Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to prioritize building a stand-alone, 200-bed tertiary care veterans' hospital at the former Fitzsimons Army base in Aurora. I was pleased that the Obama Administration committed to completing this needed project. I also fought for funding to get this project started. In Fiscal Year 2010, the new Veterans Medical Center received $119 million to build a new Community Living Center, an Outpatient Clinic, and parking. In the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2011, the project would receive $450.7 million in construction funds. I will work with my colleagues in Congress to ensure these funds are appropriated and that the building process stays on schedule and on budget.

In 2009, I introduced legislation with Senator Michael Bennet to establish a new national veterans' cemetery in El Paso County (S. 691). While Colorado currently has both Fort Logan National Cemetery and Fort Lyons National Cemetery, both cemeteries are inconveniently located from Colorado's largest veterans' population, and Fort Logan will soon reach full capacity. One of the obstacles to creating the new cemetery is a Department of Veterans Affairs population threshold used to determine where to locate new national veterans' cemeteries. The proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2011 includes language that reduces the population threshold, which would make Southern Colorado eligible for a new veterans' cemetery. I will work with my colleagues in Congress to urge that this new threshold be included in the budget that Congress passes this year and that the VA begin planning to build the new cemetery. Southern Colorado veterans deserve to have a cemetery to call their own.

I am a co-sponsor of the bipartisan Honor Act (S.772), introduced by Senator Kit Bond. Among other provisions, the bill would establish a scholarship program for education and training of behavioral health care specialists for Veterans Centers; clarify that any member of the Armed Forces who served on active duty in Iraq or Afghanistan is eligible for readjustment counseling and related mental health services through Veterans Centers; and restore the authority of Veterans Centers to provide referral and other assistance upon request to former members of the Armed Forces. This will ensure that the care we provide our veterans is commensurate with their outstanding service.

I have consistently supported programs to train veterans in key areas such as clean energy jobs. Programs like Helmets to Hard Hats and Veterans Green Jobs help our veterans gain vital career skills while supporting critical sectors key to Colorado's economic health. This collaboration is a win-win, and I will continue to look for ways to support these types of programs.