OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act

Floor Speech

Date: Nov. 18, 2024
Location: Washington, DC

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CISCOMANI. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my legislation, the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, the flagship bipartisan, bicameral veterans package of the 118th Congress.

Simply put, our veterans are our Nation's heroes. When duty called, these brave men and women answered, risking life and limb in service to their fellow citizens.

In my district, I organized the Veterans Advisory Council to hear directly from those who served about the unique challenges facing all of our veterans. As I continue to hear from our veterans, it is clear there is still work to be done to close the gaps in economic opportunity, care, and access to housing.

This legislation encompasses a number of bipartisan and bicameral proposals to address veteran homelessness by increasing reimbursement rates to partner organizations; improve the delivery of healthcare by increasing coordination with providers and expanding access to home and community care; modernize delivery of benefits by cutting red tape; and overall improvement to the delivery of services for veterans, their families, and survivors.

Specifically, I am proud my bill includes a provision I have spearheaded to reauthorize and fund the VET TEC program to cover costs for veterans seeking job training in high-tech industries. Currently, the program has an 84 percent graduation rate for the 12,000 veterans who have already completed it. By reauthorizing this program, we are creating the same opportunity for thousands of veterans to come.

Additionally, I want to highlight that it authorizes appropriations for the Office of Women's Health at the VA to expand access for women to mobile mammography units and outreach.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, to ensure we provide our veterans and their families with the support and benefits they earned through their service.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT


Source
arrow_upward