U.S. Senator Ken Salazar

Member: Agriculture, Energy, Veterans' Affairs, Ethics and Aging Committees

 

2300 15th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

 

 

For Immediate Release

June 8, 2006

CONTACT:    Cody Wertz – Comm. Director

                        303-455-7600

Andrew Nannis  – Press Secretary

                        202-224-5852


 Sen. Salazar Urges Renewed Efforts to Improve Veteran Benefits

WASHINGTON, D.C. – From his seat on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, United States Senator Ken Salazar urged committee members and VA officials to address the needs of veterans by enhancing benefits and increasing funding to ensure that veterans receive their benefits in a timely manner.

“We must find ways to improve benefits for veterans in the critical areas of education, pensions, job training, housing, memorials, and access to legal representation,” Senator Salazar said. “Shortfalls in the VA budget have led to personnel shortages and huge backlogs in the processing of benefits claims. Our nation’s veterans need and deserve adequate benefits, but until we fix these funding issues, we cannot fully live up to our promises to provide our veterans with the benefits they have earned.”

The Veterans’ Affairs Committee today considered six pieces of legislation relating to veterans’ benefits.

“I am hopeful that today’s hearing can serve as the starting point for further efforts to address important issues related to VA’s benefit programs,” said Salazar, noting that he recently introduced the Rural Veterans Care Act to expand VA healthcare and other services for veterans living in rural communities. To see a one-page summary of Senator Salazar’s Rural Veterans Care Act, click here.

 

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