A New Direction for Our Veterans

Every day we see the tremendous commitment and sacrifice made by the men and women of our Armed Forces.  Our military men and women are among our most precious resources.  I am proud of the important accomplishments I have attained since coming to Congress in support of both our troops serving us today and our veterans that have already served.

Gallia County Rural Health Outreach Clinic

Most recently, after months of working with the Department of Veterans Affairs, I have secured a VA staffed clinic that will be located at 323 Upper River Road in Gallipolis.

No longer will our veterans have to travel over an hour just to get the services they deserve.  Opening in late September 2010, this clinic will give our veterans the healthcare they deserve closer to home.

Appalachian Veterans Outreach Improvement Act

Early this spring I proudly introduced the Appalachian Veterans Outreach Improvement Act.  This important legislation would authorize a cooperative agreement between the Secretary of the VA and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).  Too often, our rural veterans lack the resources necessary to access their Federal benefits and services.  This legislation would provide the joint effort needed by the Secretary of the VA and the ARC to improve access to these programs for veterans in Appalachia.

In addition, there are countless measures I have voted for during my tenure in Congress.

In fact, since I came to Congress, Democrats added $23 billion for veterans’ health care and services—a 60% increase in VA discretionary funding.   

I am proud of my vote for the greatest overhaul of the G.I. Bill in over 20 years—the “GI Bill for the 21^st Century” that will cover the cost of a college education at a public university.  I am proud to report that since August 2009, the VA has issued Post-9/11 G.I. Bill benefits to almost 250,000 individuals and $1.2 billion in education benefits have been paid to veteran students.

Also, I am happy that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), that I supported, included key priorities for veterans.  We included incentives for businesses to hire recently discharged, unemployed veterans and expanded housing assistance for disabled veterans. In addition, ARRA provided funding to improve aging military hospitals and VA hospitals, and funds to speed up claims and benefits processing.

Democrats also assisted veterans this Congress by protecting them from any threat of foreclosure for nine months after military service.  The last thing veterans need after a tour of duty is to come home worried about their home.  We also increased VA home loan limits to keep up with current housing prices.

Additionally, the VA recently established a presumptive service connection for Vietnam Veterans exposed to herbicides exposure, including Agent Orange, with hairy-cell leukemia and other chronic B-cell leukemias, Parkinson’s disease, and ischemic heart disease.  Over 250,000 veterans have already been identified as potentially eligible for essential health care and disability compensation.  I am happy the VA has finally addressed this critical need.     

I am proud of the work I have done for our veterans and look forward to supporting them as I continue to represent the 6^th Distritct.

For more information on what the Democratic leadership has done for our veterans and troops in the 111th Congress, click here.