Pingree met with veterans in Scarborough this morning, plans on sharing their concerns with the Secretary

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree will be joining Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Erik Shinseki at the VA Togus Medical Center tomorrow (Friday) morning.  Pingree will also participate in a press conference with Shinseki and Congressman Mike Michaud after the tour.
 
“Maine has one of the highest percentages of veterans in the country,” Pingree said.  “So I’m glad we will have this opportunity to show Secretary Shinseki around VA Togus and talk to him about the issues facing veterans in our state. I look forward to talking to him about access to medical care, the new GI Bill and ways to help returning veterans find jobs.”
 
This morning Pingree held a veterans’ roundtable at the Maine Veterans Home in Scarborough.  She plans on relaying concerns from the veterans to Shinseki.

Photo's from the veterans' roundtable in Scarborough:

“Many of the veterans I talked to this morning told me how concerned they are about the backlog of claims in the VA system,” Pingree said.  “They shared some great ideas on how to address this problem and I plan on talking to Secretary Shinseki in person about them.”
 
Earlier this year Pingree intervened in a dispute between VA Togus and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maine. Anthem had denied approximately a half-million dollars in claims that were due VA Togus. After Pingree contacted the president of Anthem in Maine, the insurance company relented and agreed to pay the previously denied claims.