Veterans

ABOVE: Tammy secured the Purple Heart medal that he earned in WW II for veteran William Ryan.

Our nation must fully honor the commitments that we have made to our veterans. Ensuring access to quality health care through the Veterans Administration (VA) health system, providing care and support to disabled veterans without delay, and sustaining educational and employment assistance are all essential.

Topics:

• Protecting Veterans Health
• Supporting Disabled Veterans
• Veterans Education
• Dr. James Allen Disabled Veterans Equity Act
• Women Veterans

Protecting Veterans Health

Ensuring access to quality health care through the VA is one of the most basic commitments that we have made to those who have served our nation in the Armed Services. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have significantly increased the number of servicemembers and veterans in need of treatment for injuries and illness. These conditions include traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other related disabilities. In addition, we must respond more effectively to the troubling increase in suicides among our troops and veterans with sufficient funding for mental health care.

All veterans must know of the benefits available to them. Improved outreach, particularly to women, minority and rural veterans, will help ensure that all of our veterans receive the benefits that they have earned.

Supporting Disabled Veterans

Disability benefits and care for those veterans injured during their service to our nation must not be delayed or denied. I strongly support increased funding to address the backlog of disability claims. In addition, I have long supported independent studies on the disabling conditions that many of our veterans struggle with. Those who are suffering the consequences of exposure to harmful chemical or biological agents must know that our nation will stand with them in their health battles, not impede their access to care and benefits.

Veterans Education

I strongly supported the largest expansion of veterans’ education benefits since the enactment of the Montgomery GI Bill in 1944. The new benefits increase aid – tuition, books, and housing – to military servicemembers, reservists, and National Guard members who serve on active duty after September 11, 2001. In addition, I strongly supported expanding these benefits by allowing them to be used for vocational training, on-the-job training and apprenticeships.

Dr. James Allen Disabled Veterans Equity Act

Dr. James Allen, a Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Wisconsin and a doctor at the VA Hospital, brought to my attention the fact that veterans who suffered a service-connected blindness in one eye received no additional VA compensation when they lose vision in the other eye. Consequently, I introduced legislation to fix this inequity. In 2007, President Bush signed into law the Dr. James Allen Disabled Veterans Equity Act was signed into law in December 2007.

Women Veterans

With a growing number of injured and disabled female veterans as a result of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, I believe we must recommit our nation to ensuring that our VA health system is capable of providing the care that these brave women deserve. Unfortunately, we know that women veterans often face barriers to quality care, and that we can go a long way to improve our identification, development, and dissemination of treatments for women veterans. I am especially concerned that our women veterans are receiving the care they need to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other conditions attributable to combat or sexual trauma. I firmly believe that our nation must honor the promises we have made to our veterans and the sacrifices those veterans made. Ensuring access to quality health care is one of the most basic of these promises.

IN-DEPTH

• Blog Posts
• Links
• Press Releases

Veterans

May 15, 2012 Report to Veterans 2012

November 12, 2010 Honoring Our Veterans

Related Websites:

• Access current information about any bill in Congress at this site, managed by the Library of Congress
  http://thomas.loc.gov
• American Battle Monuments Commission
  http://www.abmc.gov
• AMVETS
  http://www.amvets.org
• Army Institute of Heraldry
  http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/
• Blinded Veterans Association
  http://www.bva.org
• DefenseLINK - Official Website of the U.S. Department of Defense
  http://www.defenselink.mil
• Disabled American Veterans (DAV)
  http://www.dav.org
• G.I. Bill Website (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)
  http://www.gibill.va.gov/
• Gold Star Wives of America
  http://www.goldstarwives.org
• Gulf War Veterans Resource Page
  http://www.gulfweb.org
• GulfLINK (U.S. Department of Defense)
  http://www.gulflink.osd.mil
• House Committee on Veterans Affairs
  http://veterans.house.gov
• Military Funeral Honors (U.S. Department of Defense)
  http://www.militaryfuneralhonors.osd.mil
• Military Pay - Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS)
  http://www.dfas.mil/
• National Center for PTSD
  http://www.ncptsd.org
• National Gulf War Resource Center (NGWRC)
  http://www.ngwrc.org
• National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP)
  http://www.nvlsp.org
• Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA)
  http://www.pva.org
• Radiation Exposure Compensation Program
  http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/torts/const/reca
• Soldiers and Sailors Relief Act
  http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/Relief_Act_Revision
• The American Legion
  http://www.legion.org
• TRICARE
  http://www.tricare.osd.mil
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
  http://www.va.gov
• VA Nurse Pension Issue
  http://www.geocities.com/varnpension
• VA Programs for Senior Veterans (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)
  http://www.va.gov/seniors
• Association for Gulf War Illness
  http://www.agile.gs
• Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA)
  http://www.vba.va.gov
• Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW)
  http://www.vfw.org
• VFW - Department of Wisconsin
  http://www.vfwofwi.com
• Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA)
  http://www.vva.org
• Volunteering to Help Veterans - VA Voluntary Service
  http://www.va.gov/volunteer
• Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs
  http://dva.state.wi.us

June 23, 2010 Statement on the 60th Anniversary of the Start of the Korean War

April 21, 2010 Baldwin Votes to Strengthen Veterans' Health Benefits

November 10, 2009 Baldwin Announces New VA Facility in Middleton

December 20, 2007 Baldwin, Local Doctor Change Law to Aid Wounded Veterans

March 9, 2007 Statement On Medical Care for Service Members and Veterans

August 13, 2004 Baldwin in Portage Monday

May 20, 2004 Remarks of Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) Entered into the Congressional Record in Honor of Memorial Day

November 10, 2003 VA Concurrent Receipt Fact Sheet

November 10, 2003 WI Veterans Deserve More Respect

August 8, 2003 Baldwin Renews Push for Fairness for Retired Nurses

July 2, 2003 Baldwin Unveils New Veterans Health Care Measure

June 11, 2003 Baldwin Sponsors Bill to Assure Funding for Veterans Health Care

April 23, 2003 Rep. Baldwin Rolls Out Legislation Protecting Health Of Veterans and Troops Abroad

April 3, 2003 Baldwin: "Protect Our Troops at Home and Abroad!!!"

March 24, 2003 Baldwin: Budget Breaks Promises to Nation's Veterans

February 28, 2003 Rep. Tammy Baldwin Introduces Legislation To Help VA Nurses

October 1, 2002 Baldwin Introduces Legislation to Aid Veterans

June 24, 2002 Rep. Tammy Baldwin Will Help VA Nurses Get The Retirement Benefits They Deserve

March 20, 2002 Baldwin Introduces Boland on Capitol Hill

February 8, 2002 Baldwin Claims Major Victory as VA Recommends Preserving Madison Veterans' Hospital

October 17, 2001 Baldwin: "Protect Our Troops!"

July 16, 2001 Feingold, Kohl, Baldwin Praise Recommendation to Preserve VA Hospital

May 3, 2001 Baldwin Spearheads Support for Military Personnel

June 26, 2000 Baldwin Bill Would Create National Center to Study Military Deployment-Related Health Problems

April 24, 2000 Baldwin Hosts Congressional Forum on Veterans' Health Care

December 8, 1999 Congresswoman Baldwin To Propose Veterans' Health Legislation

October 13, 1999 Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin Opposes Proposed VA Cutbacks