Veterans

| Print |

"Our veterans have earned our support.  They deserve the best healthcare and benefits for their unparalleled sacrifice and service." -Congressman Tom Udall At a time when thousands of veterans are returning from overseas, many of them wounded, it is extremely important that we invest in the veterans' healthcare system.  We must also ensure that our nation's soldiers are receiving other benefits that were promised to them upon enrollment.  And these benefits must be delivered promptly and efficiently.  Veterans should not have to wait to receive the services they have earned. Because of a lack of funding, thousands of New Mexico's disabled veterans are waiting for resolution of their disability claims at any given time.  The average veteran must wait five months before receiving VA benefits.  These long waiting times delay millions of dollars worth of benefits for disabled veterans in our state.  Moreover, veterans are waiting weeks or months to get healthcare at the VA and funding cuts are forcing local VA hospitals to restrict specialty care and accommodations.  These cuts are acutely felt by the veterans in my district, many of whom travel three hours each way to visit a VA hospital.  To help solve this problem, I support making veterans' healthcare funding mandatory.  I also oppose making veterans bear the burden by charging enrollment fees or increasing copayments for prescription drugs.  It is particularly critical to ensure the operation of a robust medical system for the nation's veterans in a time of war. The new House leadership has made veterans a priority.  As a former member of the Veterans Affairs Committee and a current member of the Appropriations Committee, I worked with my colleagues to ensure that the most recent Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill met the needs of veterans.  The bill includes several important provisions.  It will: provide the VA with the resources to significantly reduce the 400,000 claims backlog for veterans waiting for disability and other benefits by adding more than 1,100 new claims processors; make five polytrauma centers and three Centers of Excellence for Mental Health and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) fully operational this year; and, support the development and operation of a toll-free telephone and web-based hotline for veterans to report on deficiencies in VA medical facilities and care. On behalf of the United States, President Lincoln once promised "to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and orphan."  As a nation that respects and honors those who risk life and limb on our behalf, we must continue to fight for our veterans.