U.S. Representative Silvestre Reyes
U.S. Representative Silvestre Reyes
REYES REPORTS E-NEWSLETTER - www.Reyes.House.gov
May 26, 2012
 
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Dear El Pasoans:

Earlier this week, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki accepted my invitation to visit El Paso to see firsthand the outstanding work of the men and women who serve our nation's veterans. Secretary Shinseki joined to me in visiting El Paso’s Veterans Service Center to meet with officials from the Medical Center of the Americas to discuss El Paso’s VA expansion and future plans to bring a full-fledged veterans' hospital to the El Paso region.

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During our meeting we focused on three critical priorities to meet the growing population of veterans in El Paso: immediately increasing access to benefits and services for El Paso’s veterans through new VA facilities, programs and technology; improve the accessibility of services to save veterans long distance travel; and improve the quality of life for mental health patients by investing in more research and education.  

In Congress, I worked with my colleagues to increase funding for veterans programs by 60 percent and that funding will help ensure that we take care of the growing number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans while continuing to improve care for those from previous eras. Increasing funding will help us hire more mental health specialists and claims processors, but we also need to ensure that we are allocating resources to the areas with the most need. 

The expansion of Fort Bliss has led to more soldiers leaving military service and staying in El Paso, and these new veterans will increase demand for services at the El Paso VA.  In the short term, El Paso will need additional staff and resources, and I believe that a new VA hospital is needed to meet the needs of our region's veterans.  Secretary Shinseki has heard those concerns, and the VA is working to meet the near and long term needs of the El Paso VA.

During my time in Congress I have been successful in securing unprecedented visits of high level officials to El Paso to draw national attention to border health issues, such as Department of Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius, then-U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, and representatives from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

As a Vietnam combat Veteran I am committed to improving and expanding benefits and protections for our nation’s veterans.

New Fort Bliss EDGE Innovation Center will deliver mission enhancing technologies and capabilities to soldiers

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This past week I had the pleasure of joining General Dynamics for their ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate our region’s cutting edge modernization efforts. EDGE Innovation Network opened the 12th EDGE facility, the Fort Bliss EDGE Innovation Center. While General Dynamics has had a presence in El Paso for the last decade, the establishment of the EDGE Innovation Center brings the partnership between the Army and industry to a new level.

The Fort Bliss EDGE Innovation Center is a unique, open environment that encourages military personnel to visit and engage with the EDGE team and its global members to experiment first-hand with advanced technologies and products ranging from soldier-worn, networked communications to new technologies and products integrated into military vehicles. The EDGE facility is part of General Dynamics C4 Systems’ Fort Bliss Regional Support and Training Center, which serves the integration, testing and training needs for the Army’s Network Integration Evaluation (NIE) exercises at Fort Bliss and White Sands Missile Range, N.M.

With Fort Bliss' unprecedented expansion, I am pleased that this new center will equip our soldiers with innovative tools that will improve soldier readiness and will further Fort Bliss’ strategic importance to America’s national security.

Seniors have saved over $3.5 billion with new health care law on prescription drugs

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released data this past week announcing that in the first four months of 2012 alone, more than 416,000 seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare have saved an average of $724 on prescription drugs they purchased after they hit the prescription drug coverage gap or “donut hole,” for a total of $301.5 million in savings.

In addition, CMS announced that this year 12.1 million people in traditional Medicare received at least one preventive service at no cost to them – including over 856,000 who have taken advantage of the Annual Wellness Visit provided in the Affordable Care Act.

Now because of the Affordable Care Act, many El Paso seniors have more access to quality and affordable health care and are benefiting from the provisions that have been implemented. The Affordable Care Act was a major victory for Texas and the El Paso community, and I will continue to work hard to ensure that the health of border residents is a top priority in Congress.

For more information on how the Affordable Care Act closes the Medicare drug benefit coverage gap “donut hole,” please visit: http://www.healthcare.gov/law/features/65-older/drug-discounts/index.html.

Please visit my website at www.Reyes.House.gov to get the latest news about my activities in Congress and be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr for updates.

Saludos,
 
Silvestre Reyes
Proudly representing the
16th District of Texas

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Latest Video


Congressman Silvestre Reyes released the following video in honor of Memorial Day (May 2012).

Latest News

Reyes announces $300K to UTEP for research opportunities in STEM fields

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Reyes' Border Tunnel Bill passes Senate, heads to President Obama's desk for enactment

Reyes Opposes Bill That Rolls Back Protections for Domestic Violence Victims

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Constituent Services


Visiting Washington D.C


Help with a Government Problem


Request a Flag


Request a Presidential Greeting


Passports


Veterans Assistance


Help with Federal Grants


Congressional Internships


A New Direction for
Veterans & Troops

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Latest Photos on Flickr

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Congressman Reyes attends a dual credit senior government class at Burges High School to discuss various legislative topics with students including health care, education, border security, and economic development. (May 2012).

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Congressman Reyes attends Irvin High School’s Senior Award Ceremony to honor Denise Mayorga and Krista Herrera for receiving the Gates Millennium Scholarship. (May 2012).

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Congressman Reyes joined El Dorado High School in honoring Michael De Sousa for being their first military academy nominee to the United States Air Force Academy. This year Congressman Reyes nominated 24 students from El Paso to America's prestigious service academies. (May 2012).

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