Ensuring Veterans' Smooth Transition Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Takano for his continued, strong, unwavering leadership on behalf of our veterans.

I am proud to represent a district that is home to a strong and growing veteran community, and proud to represent Fort Bliss in Congress, where thousands of our servicemembers transition to civilian life.

One of my top priorities in Congress has been to protect our veterans and their families in the same way they have served and defended our country. Today, I am honored to stand in support of this critical legislation for our Nation's veterans and to present my amendment.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4673, the Ensuring Veterans' Smooth Transition Act, provides automatic enrollment in the VA for all transitioning servicemembers. This bill is vital in that it expedites the use of healthcare benefits that veterans have already earned. My amendment seeks to ensure that servicemembers who were discharged up to 90 days before the enactment of this legislation can also reap its benefits.

Servicemembers transitioning to civilian life already face a multitude of hurdles, from adjusting to everyday life, dealing with unemployment issues, housing and security, and poor mental and physical health, among other things.

Mr. Speaker, our veterans deserve that we eliminate these and any other barriers. Thousands of veterans leave the service without knowing about the VA, whether they are eligible, and what benefits they are entitled to receive.

Veterans who returned to civilian life during the pandemic faced even more challenges to access and overall engagement with the VA due to closures and the VA's limited operational capacity at the height of the pandemic. We cannot leave these veterans behind.

Already, more than half of eligible veterans don't use VA health benefits, many of which are due to confusion on eligibility and benefits and lack of access to information. The pandemic only exacerbated this. Our withdrawal from Afghanistan this past year similarly impacted millions of veterans who now need that care more than ever.

Mr. Speaker, my amendment is not adding any new entitlements. It is simply extending them to those who are equally in need. With my amendment to this bill, we can ensure that newly transitioned veterans do not miss the opportunity to access VA benefits they deserve and are entitled to.

As our chairman has said, when it comes to supporting our veterans, the true heroes of our country, there is always more work to be done. This bill is truly transformative and assures future cohorts of veterans receive the expeditious access to the healthcare they need.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on my amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

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