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Veterans Affairs
The Veterans are the only group of Americans that have earned their benefits, they didn't just happen to be here, they earned it on the battlefield, they earned it in service to their nation. As the guardians of our freedoms, these men and women are owed our respect and our support.
I am honored to serve as the Deputy Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs. the VA faces a variety of obstacles, many of which must be overcome in the next few years. Two main concerns are the VA's ability to deliver timely health care benefits to our veterans and the efficiency of processing much deserved benefits.
It's a pleasure to report progress is being made on the new Bed Tower at the Malcom Randall VA Hospital in Gainesville, FL and the new state-of-the-art outpatient clinic in south Marion County. I was proud to lead efforts to secure $85 million in new construction funding for improvements at the Veterans' Hospital in Gainesville. I also worked to secure funding for final construction of the south Marion County Satellite Outpatient Clinic. This new facility would provide various critical services for veterans, such as a Cardiology Clinic, Pulmonary Medicine, a Minor Surgery Center and a Pharmacy Service among others. Completion of construction is anticipated in the Srpong of 2010.
Since 1996, I have pushed for a Department of Veterans Affairs national cemetery in the Jacksonville area. According to the 2000 census the Veterans population in the Jacksonville area grew to 189,000, up sharply from 159,000 in the 1990 census. Florida has the nation's second largest veterans population and the oldest population. Yet the closest open VA cemetery is a three-hour drive. With some 325,000 veterans calling northeastern Florida and southeastern Georgia home, this cemetery is essential. I am pleased that Congress has passed, and the President has signed, H.R. 1516 (P.L. 108-109), the National Cemetery Expansion Act of 2003, which includes language from my bill.
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