Issue Position: Veterans
Issue Position
Because of the incredible sacrifice America's veterans have made on behalf of their country, they deserve the very best in return from their government. As a member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I have been honored to fight for improved veterans' benefits since I arrived in Congress.
After the sacrifices our brave men and women in uniform and their families make, the least we can do is ensure veterans have access to quality health care, education and career opportunities. The new leadership in the 110th and 111th Congress committed to making veterans' health care a top priority, and I am pleased that Congress is delivering on that commitment.
Below are some of the actions taken by the 111th Congress to ensure that veterans have access to the benefits they have earned:
* Veterans began to receive benefits from the new G.I. Bill restoring the promise of a full four-year education to men and women who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families.
* The Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act will allow Congress to approve funding for veterans' medical care a year in advance to ensure that the VA has adequate time to plan for the best way to deliver efficient and effective health care to our veterans. The budget continues on building on our historic commitment to veterans' health care. It provides the largest funding increase (nearly 12 percent) ever requested by a President in order to increase the number of VA doctors and nurses, expand VA mental health screening and treatment, and end ban on enrolling modest-income veterans for VA health care by the Bush Administration.
* The Recovery Act offered businesses a tax credit for hiring out of work veterans, made much-needed improvements to veterans' hospitals, and provided disabled veterans with a payment of $250.
* The Defense Authorization bill gives our troops a 3.4% pay raise, increases military readiness, and supports military families by increasing funding for housing programs.
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