Washington, DC - For the fifth year in a row, the importance of Veterans Day is amplified by the experiences of military service members who are becoming veterans in Iraq and Afghanistan. This year as we honor the contributions of men and women who defended our country during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and many other conflicts in our recent history, 219,000 new veterans will enter the system.

Our country owes veterans a special debt for their selflessness and dedication to our country. In appreciation of veterans of past wars and in anticipation of the wave of veterans we hope to welcome home from military service in the near future, Congress has passed numerous bills, including the largest veterans funding increase in the history of the Veterans Administration (VA) and a pay raise for our troops.

Just this week, Congress sent the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act to the President’s desk. This legislation would increase the VA budget by $6.7 billion over this year’s level – the largest single increase in the 77-year history of the VA. All major veterans groups strongly support this bill, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Disabled American Veterans, because the bill would make sure our veterans will never again suffer through the problems they experienced at Walter Reed Army Medical Center earlier this year. It includes $500 million more than the President requested for facility maintenance, and $600 million more for mental health treatment, including post-traumatic stress disorder. The bill would also begin to eliminate a monstrous backlog of 400,000 health claims by hiring 1,800 new processors.

Congress also added $1.8 billion in funding for VA health care to the 2007 Iraq Supplemental bill (H.R. 2206), which would go toward improving facility maintenance and help pay for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans’ mental health care and benefit claims. The Iraq Supplemental also provides $2 billion more than the President requested for military health care and research. It became law in May.

Service members returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will qualify for veterans’ benefits in short order. Congress wants to give them a head start by increasing their pay now by 3.5 percent, more than the President has requested. The House and Senate have also passed the National Defense Authorization Act, H.R. 1585, which would provide special pay and bonuses to combat troops. Another bill (the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, H.R. 976) would have provided six months of unpaid, job-protected leave to family members who act as caregivers for service members recovering from injuries, but it was vetoed in October.

These are just a few of the measures Congress has taken this year to make sure the government fulfills its responsibilities for our veterans and service members. Other bills passed this year include provisions that would improve the transition of wounded service members from the armed forces to the VA system, prohibit TRICARE fee increases for veterans and service members, provide for more VA medical personnel, improve VA health information sharing, restore accountability in the Defense Department and VA for the quality of health care they provide, require a suicide prevention program, and provide a cost of living increase for disabled veterans.

I thank all veterans for their devotion to duty and sacrifices for our country. Veterans have protected our country since 1776 and continue to protect our nation and our freedoms.