Veterans

As a 20-year veteran, having served two tours of duty in Vietnam, I am honored to represent all veterans in the House of Representatives. It is my distinct honor to represent the more than 44,000 veterans that live in Iowa’s Third District, a large number of the over quarter of a million veterans who live in our great state of Iowa.

We can never lose sight of the enormous scarifies they have made and we must honor our commitment to see to it that our veterans receive the benefits they were guaranteed and that they have good opportunities just like everyone else. For example, we must ensure that our veterans have the opportunity to find and keep a meaningful job when they return to civilian life. Those who have put their lives on the line serving this country deserve nothing less, and we can do a better job of putting their many skills to work. This issue is especially important for those who have served since 9/11 with the unemployment rate for recent service members being above the national average.

I've cosponsored the Hiring Our Veterans Act, legislation that provides tax credits to employers to hire veterans who have been unemployed, and provides even greater assistance for those who hire an unemployed veteran with a service connected disability. I also voted for and the President signed into law the largest expansion of the GI Bill in generations, making college more affordable and accessible for our veterans. Additionally, I helped secure the largest increase in VA funding in decades to ensure our veterans are receiving the proper care and benefits they earned for treating PTSD and traumatic brain injuries. I also secured a feasibility study on how to evaluate the incidence of breast cancer in our women in uniform and have further related legislation pending on this troubling issue. In the 110^th Congress, I was pleased to champion and shepherd through Congress the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act which was signed into law in November 2007.

I will continue to push policies that improve care for women, rural, priority 7 and 8, and disabled veterans, and increase funding for traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder. I have worked hard to be a champion to ensure all our veterans have adequate healthcare – both physical and mental – and I will continue to be a partner for Iowa’s veterans in the 112^th Congress.

• July 19, 2012 - Boswell Successfully Increases Much-Needed Funding for Soldier Suicide Prevention in Defense Appropriations Bill

“With the epidemic of soldier suicides now eclipsing deaths on the battlefield and the Institute of Medicine and other medical experts calling for more screening for PTSD, now is not the time to be cutting any mental health funding – in fact, we should be increasing the availability of resources to combat this growing national concern. A soldier is taking their own life every single day. Estimates show hundreds of thousands of our currently deployed troops have symptoms of PTSD and just half of those who are eventually diagnosed will actually receive treatment,” Boswell said.

“We have a responsibility to eliminate the stigma shrouding mental health issues so our soldiers get the proper care they deserve. That means providing the necessary resources to educate, diagnose and treat. Our troops and their families depend on Congress to do the right thing on this issue. I’m pleased my colleagues joined me in setting politics aside to address this serious issue among our service members.”

• July 17, 2012 - Boswell Announces New Funding for Homeless Veterans

“Homelessness among our veterans is a serious issue and this funding will help very low-income veteran families with finding permanent housing situations,” Boswell said. “I congratulate Primary Health Care on their award and thank them for their continued work serving our community and our veterans.”

• July, 12, 2012 - Boswell Amendment Creating Veterans' Liasion Included in House Farm Bill

“I thank the Committee for approving the bipartisan amendment that my friend Congressman Chris Gibson of New York and I put forward which establishes a veterans’ liaison within the Department of Agriculture to help returning service members, who wish to feed their nation when they return home, navigate available farm programs,” Boswell said.

• June 29, 2012 - Boswell Applauds Passage of Highway Bill

“I am pleased my veterans’ preference language was included in the final bill. Our returning military men and women face a great deal of challenges when returning home – one of the toughest is finding employment,” Boswell added. “This will help our veterans return to civilian life and ease the high unemployment among our veterans.”

• May 31, 2012 - Boswell Briefing: Hire Heroes Benefits Now Available

I wanted to share some important information with my fellow veterans about the availability of new education benefits that were made possible through the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) to Hire Heroes Act of 2011, which I was proud to support...

• May 25, 2012 - Boswell Briefing: Honoring Our Troops and Veterans

Every year, Americans come together to honor and remember the men and women who have gone before us while protecting our freedoms, the securities we enjoy as Americans and our democracy. Because of this, we owe them an immeasurable amount of gratitude and respect in return...

• May 18, 2012 - Boswell NDAA Amendments Pass House

“I am pleased my colleagues in the House supported my amendments to the defense bill in an overwhelmingly bipartisan and unanimous fashion,” Boswell said. “We were able to cut through the gridlock and pass commonsense legislation that focuses on our service members and veterans. Providing for the health and well-being of the men and women of our military, as well as those who have already served, requires that we provide the necessary vigilance and support to confront the challenges they face as a result of their service to our country.”

• May 1, 2012 - Boswell Reintroduces Armed Forces Breast Cancer Research Act

“It is a well-documented fact that one of the highest forms of cancer among our service members and veterans is breast cancer. I am reintroducing this legislation – which previously passed the House with strong bipartisan support – to dig deeper in order to discover whether there is a service-related cause for the alarming rate of those members who are diagnosed,” Boswell said. “Just as I fought for increased mental health services to help our current and former servicemen and women with PTSD and suicide issues through the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Bill, I will fight for this important legislation too.”

• March 13, 2012 - Boswell Helps Fullfill Veteran's Christmas Wish

“As a fellow Vietnam War combat veteran, I was very pleased to meet Dennis and his daughter Trinita. We had a great discussion about our service to our country during the war,” said Boswell, a 20-year Army veteran. “Trinita helped grant her father a very special Christmas wish that both will long remember. I was glad my staff and I could be a part of their visit.”

• February 3, 2012 - Boswell Releases Statement on Proposed Iowa Air National Guard Cuts

“This fighter wing represents the best of the best. To lose them would be doing a disservice to Iowans and the entire country. I strongly urge the Air Force to take a closer look at what this F-16 fighter wing represents and can accomplish in its service to the United States.”

Boswell Speaks on Floor for Increased Funding for Soldier Suicide Prevention

Floor Statement on Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act

As part of this legislation, the Department of Veterans Affairs was required to create a veterans suicide hotline.  Since enactment, the Veterans Crisis Hotline and VA Suicide Prevention Coordinators have received more than 600,000 calls from veterans and their families, and have made more than 21,000 life-saving rescues.

I believe that it is crucial to ensure our veterans always have access to healthcare, education, and other benefits that they were promised. In the 112^th Congress, I will continue to be a voice for all of our nation’s men and women in uniform – past and present – and their families.