Saratoga Springs, NY – Today, local Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand announced that she had received an “A” rating from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America for her support of our troops, veterans and their families.  The ratings are based on the Congresswoman’s consistent voting record and advocacy on behalf of our nation’s returning warriors and their families. 

Congresswoman Gillibrand, a Member of the House Armed Services Committee has been a leading advocate for our nation’s nearly 24 million veterans and their families, including the more than 63,000 veterans living in the 20th District.  Since taking office two years ago, the Congresswoman has worked to improve the lives of the brave men and women who serve and have served on behalf of the United States of America. 

“I appreciate the recognition from the IAVA, but the work that this Congress has accomplished on behalf of our veterans is just the tip of the iceberg in reversing the trend of neglect in funding for the VA system in the past, and ensuring that those who wore the uniform of the United States and their families receive the support and recognition they deserve,” said Congresswoman Gillibrand. 

One of the Congresswoman’s first actions upon taking office was to create a Veterans Advisory Committee; a group made up of local veterans from across the region to discuss the major issues and challenges facing the veterans’ community.  This working group helped the Congresswoman craft three pieces of legislation to ease the transition for our veterans from Active Duty to veteran status and to give a voice to veteran-owned businesses in the awarding of small business grants. 

A major concern for the Congresswoman was reforming the educational benefits for our post 9/11 veterans serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.  As a cosponsor of the Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, the Congresswoman voted to ensure that all our Servicemen and women, including our National Guard and Reserve would have access to higher education benefits.  The reform makes the GI Bill program on par with the historic program that sent millions of veterans to college following World War II.  This program will go into effect next Fall, and the Congresswoman has reached out and received commitments from more than a dozen area colleges and universities to help veterans access higher education by streamlining the application process and proactively reaching out to the veterans’ community.

One of the Congresswoman’s missions on behalf of our veterans is to ease the often confusing and difficult transition that our Servicemembers face when they return home from service.  The Congresswoman authored H.R. 5831; legislation that would require the Department of Defense to create a comprehensive handbook that would guide new veterans in the transition from Active Duty to veteran status, outline the benefits they have earned, as well as detailing local resources to ease their transition.  The legislation would also require that the DOD create an online clearinghouse to ensure that veterans have access to the information so that they can make informed decisions and avoid the obstacles and struggles that our veterans sometimes face in accessing their earned benefits.

The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is a non-partisan, non-profit advocacy organization and the nation's first and largest group dedicated to the troops and veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  You can learn more about the IAVA at their website at www.IAVA.org.