November 10, 2010

Improving the Quality of Life for Our Veterans

The following post was included in a special edition Veterans Day email newsletter sent out on November 10, 2010:

Dear Neighbor,

Each Veterans Day, we have an annual reminder of the many sacrifices our military, past and present, provide to keep our country strong and safe.  This year, I wanted to share with you some of the work we have been doing to improve the quality of life for our deserving heroes, including legislation that I wrote becoming law just last month, providing  added benefits to blind veterans in New York State.

As a member of Congress, I have the opportunity to provide assistance to the 59,000 veterans in the 27th District of New York on a local level through the constituent service we provide in my district offices and national level by adopting legislation that provides opportunities for veterans when they return home.

Over the last few years, Congress has taken many steps to enhance the quality of care our veterans receive, including passing the largest increase in veterans' health funding in history and the new GI Bill for the 21st Century which restores the promise of a full, four-year college education, to the 2 million service members of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.  Those crucial college benefits have also been extended to all children of fallen service members since 9-11-01.

To help veterans cope with the recession, I supported the portions of the Recovery Act that provided businesses a $2,400 tax credit for hiring unemployed veterans, and provided disabled veterans a payment of $250 to help make ends meet.  And in 2008, Congress provided $1.2 billion in tax cuts for military personnel and families, including the Earned Income Tax Credit and recovery rebates for military families.

I also met with VA Secretary Shinseki in Buffalo to discuss the veteran’s backlog on service claims, the Olmsted Center for Sight, and to applaud the Recovery Act funding to provide more staff and employment opportunities at the Buffalo VA.

We are proud to have earned an A+ rating by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and 100% score by the Disabled American Veterans for our continued and comprehensive commitment to issues important to our veterans.  And we will continue to fight for the men and women who fight each and every day for this great nation.

For more news highlights of Congressman Higgins' work for Veterans, visit our issue page: http://higgins.house.gov/legislation/policy-positions/veterans.shtml

To sign up for Congressman Higgins' email newsletters, visit our sign up page: https://higgins.house.gov/contact/newsletter-signup.shtml

Archived Press Releases:

2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008