Veterans

All of us owe the men and women who have served our country an enormous amount of gratitude and respect. Many of these men and women have chosen to live in the Puget Sound region, and it is my honor to represent them in Congress.

As a Senior Member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), I have consistently worked to ensure that our veterans receive the benefits and treatment they deserve for their years of faithful service. These benefits are not only critical for veterans, retirees, and their dependents, but also for those who are considering a career in the military.

One of the biggest challenges facing our veterans is insufficient VA funding. In the 110th Congress, I was proud to vote for a legislative package that included the single largest increase for veterans' health care in the history of the Department of Veterans Affairs. This increase will allow the Department to hire more case workers, decrease wait times, and improve the quality of care. In addition, funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs will allow the VA to prepare for the new generation of veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.

In 2007 it became clear that returning veterans had not been receiving the quality care they need. In response, the Armed Services Committee implemented several recommendations from the Dole-Shalala Commission on Wounded Warriors. These provisions provided the enhanced resources, training, and oversight necessary to ensure the highest quality of care for our wounded warriors and their families.

In addition to ensuring our wounded warriors and veterans receive quality healthcare, I have worked with my colleagues to ensure that military retirees' healthcare costs through TRICARE do not increase. By prohibiting proposed TRICARE fee increases for several years running, Congress has ensured that billions of dollars in healthcare costs were not passed on to military retirees and their families.

During my time in Congress I have also supported the elimination of the "disabled veterans tax," which requires that veterans' retirement pay be reduced by the amount they get in disability pay. I believe these brave veterans have earned both types of pay and should be allowed to receive the full amounts concurrently. While Congress has made substantial progress toward providing concurrent receipt of both benefits for disabled veterans, full enactment of Concurrent Receipt remains a top veterans' priority for me.

We must also honor our veterans and military retirees by helping provide for their spouses, who have also sacrificed so much to our nation. I strongly support the Survivor Benefits Plan (SBP). Spouses are often hit hardest by a reduction in family income, and can scarcely afford to live on less. Congress did take a step in the right direction by providing a partial payment to surviving spouses who are denied the full amount of their SBP benefit because it is reduced by the amount they receive in Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC). Though this is a step in the right direction, more should be done to support surviving spouses.

I remain committed to our veterans and will continue to work diligently to provide them with the best benefits available.