Veterans

The brave men and women in uniform who have volunteered to defend our nation deserve our utmost thanks and respect.  They also deserve the benefits they were promised and have certainly earned.  Unfortunately, a negative trend developed with regards to veterans’ benefits.  Our courageous veterans are promised one thing and far too often receive benefits short of those promises.  I, along with my colleagues in Congress, am committed to changing this inexcusable trend.

Last Congress, I supported many bills to protect and increase veterans benefits and VA funding.  I was proud to support legislation that increased VA funding to record-setting levels; guaranteed veterans, who retired or separated for disability due to combat related injuries, would receive the full amount of any bonuses they were promised while in the military; and made sure that increased healthcare costs at the Pentagon were not transferred to TRICARE beneficiaries.  Most recently, I was pleased to see that President Obama withdrew his plan to charge disabled veterans private insurance for treatment at VA facilities.  This proposal would have gone directly against the mission of the VA:  to provide care to those who defended our nation.