Ed Case to Hold Talk Story Focusing on Veterans

Statement

U.S. Congressman Ed Case (Hawai"i -- District 1) will be focusing on the needs and concerns of Hawaii's veterans with a Talk Story session scheduled for next month at the O"ahu Veterans Center.

Case sits as a member of a key panel that funds all veterans' efforts nationally: the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies.

"As a member of this committee and subcommittee, I am committed to assuring you that our nation fully honors our promise to all veterans," said Case.

"To do so, it is critical that I stay in close touch with our veteran's community on issues of concern."

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, there are more than 112,000 veterans who live in Hawai"i. Veterans make up more than 10% of the adult population in Hawai"i -- which is higher than the national average of 7%.

"This "Talk Story' session will give me the opportunity not only to report back on my overall activities in Washington, DC, but to focus specifically on veterans' issues both nationally and in our island home", said Case.

"Most importantly, I hope to hear directly from veterans and veterans' organizations on what is of concern to them and how I can help."

Case's Veterans Talk Story follows on his trip earlier this month to visit Hawaii Army National Guard troops deployed to Kosovo and Egypt. He held talk story sessions with the troops in both locations, focusing on areas of concern to both servicemembers and veterans such as Tricare coverage.

Case, a member of the Congressional Military Veterans Caucus as well as the Congressional Guard and Reserve Component Caucus, has supported various initiatives of importance to these groups. Most recently, he is a co-sponsor of H.R. 299, recently passed by the U.S. House, which would help veterans who served in the Vietnam war and who have come down with diseases associated with exposure to the herbicide and defoliant chemical Agent Orange. The legislation would also help veterans who were exposed to the same chemical when they served in or near the Korean Demilitarized Zone.

Source