Issue Position: Veterans

Issue Position

We owe a tremendous debt to the brave men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces and to the families that support them. Because of the incredible sacrifice our service members make on behalf of their country, they deserve the very best from their government in return. The 111th Congress has made a strong commitment to our nation's troops, veterans, and military families, and I will continue to work with my colleagues in Washington to ensure that we deliver on those promises.

Below are some of the actions I have supported in the 111th Congress to ensure that our troops, veterans and their families have access to the benefits they have earned:

· Training and Equipment: In 2009, the Defense Authorization and Appropriations bills emphasized restoring the readiness of our Armed Forces with programs and funding for the best equipment and training needed today, including much needed Mine Resistance Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles and their all-terrain counterpart, the M-ATV.

· Compensation: Many of our troops have served multiple tours of duty, with great strain on their families and substantial cost to their financial futures. In response, Congress provided special $500 payments for the 185,000 service members and veterans forced to serve under stop-loss orders since 2001. The 2009 Defense Authorization bill also gives our troops a 3.4 percent pay raise.

· Health Care: In 2009, Congress expanded TRICARE health benefits and provided family leave benefits for families of our wounded warriors. Furthermore, with the strong support of veterans organizations, this Congress has made an unprecedented commitment to veterans' health care. Congress has increased investment in veterans' health care and services by 60 percent since 2007 -- including the largest single increase in the 78-year history of the VA. This funding has resulted in the addition of 17,000 new doctors and nurses and more Community-Based Outpatient Clinics and new Vet Centers. It is expanding mental health screening and treatment and strengthening access for veterans in rural areas. I was also a cosponsor of the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act, which authorizes 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 high quality health care to our vets.

· Jobs and Education: The new Post 9-11 GI Bill, which began in August 2009, provides the opportunity for a full, four-year college education, allowing up to 2 million warriors of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts to be part of a new American economic recovery, just like after World War II. Veterans Coming home are facing double digit unemployment, so this Congress has enacted incentives for businesses to hire unemployed veterans. As part of the Recovery Act, Congress provided nearly 2 million disabled veterans a $250 payment to help make ends meet. I am also a strong supporter and cosponsor of the Post 9/11 Troops to Teachers Act to ensure that more members of the military have an opportunity to bring their leadership skills and life lessons to classrooms all over the country.

· Family Support: The 111th Congress has placed a new emphasis on supporting our military families who continue to shoulder the burden of multiple and lengthy deployments of loved ones and caregivers. We are building more military child care centers and better barracks and military housing. I have also cosponsored legislation, such as the Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act, to improve survivor benefits for military spouses and dependents.

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