Veterans & Military Families

Veterans and Military Families

I am strongly committed to serving the needs of the veterans of our armed forces and their families, and I know how important it is that we treat our men and women in uniform with respect and care.  As the daughter of an Air Force colonel whose childhood and teenage years were spent moving from one military base to another, I know how challenging, rewarding and stressful life in the military can be, and I appreciate the contributions, support and sacrifices made by each and every member of service families.  There are more than 450,000 veterans in Massachusetts, and they have earned and deserve the best this country has to offer.  As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I have made it a priority to support and protect our servicemembers and veterans.

Veterans Advisory Committee and help for veterans and servicemembers

In order to ensure that I am able to stay connected to local veterans, their families, and organizations providing veterans with key services in our community, I created a Fifth District Veterans Advisory Committee.  I meet regularly with this group, and a number of the legislative ideas that I have pursued in Congress have been generated or discussed during these helpful meetings.  If you would like to learn more about the Advisory Committee, please contact Mike Hubbard in my Lowell office at 978-459-0101. 

I also have dedicated staff members to assist veterans and servicemembers when interacting with the Veterans Administration and other Federal agencies.  My staff can assist with applying for benefits, health care, education programs, and other services.  Please call my office to see how I can help or visit my veterans constituent page for resources available to veterans.

Jobs for Vets

At a recent meeting of the Veterans Advisory Committee, one of the topics that was discussed was ways to ensure that the transition from military to civilian life is as smooth as possible for this newest generation of veterans.  One area I believe we must improve is ensuring that the injuries that veterans sustain while serving do not become barriers to employment when they come home

Currently, 1 in 14 unemployed Americans are disabled veterans.  This number is staggering given the fact that veterans make up less than 1% of our population.  I strongly supported the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, legislation that recently passed in the House and Senate and was signed into law by President Obama.  This new law guarantees an improved benefits package for veterans as they transition into civilian life and it is very similar to what was proposed as part of President Obama’s American Jobs Act.  Tax credits will be given to companies for each veteran they hire, training and education programs for disabled veterans will be improved, and new initiatives will be created to connect disabled veterans with companies wishing to employ them.

These are the types of efforts that we must engage in order to ensure that veterans are appropriately supported when they come home. We are the beneficiaries of their courage, their sacrifice and their vigilance, and I am proud that Congress came together to pass this legislation on a bipartisan basis and on their behalf.

Vets Business Outreach Center

Last year, I helped to secure a $750,000 grant over 5 years from the Small Business Administration to open a new Veterans Business Outreach Center in downtown Lawrence.  This center will provide assistance to veterans who are starting their own business or looking for ways to grow an existing one 

The Center is one of only eight such centers nationwide and serves veterans throughout New England.  Services provided by the Veterans Business Outreach Center include outreach, assessment, long and short-term business training, counseling, directed referring, electronic or on-line assistance and other technical assistance services to veterans, service disabled veterans, and U.S. Military Reserve Component business owners and entrepreneurs.     

Helping our veterans transition to civilian life  

After hearing from returning veterans about the difficulties in transitioning back to civilian life and the important role VA mental health professionals play, I testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Veterans Affairs Health Subcommittee to advocate for the importance of improving the mental health care services and capabilities of the VA.   I also introduced legislation to require the VA to report vacancies in mental health positions to ensure these critical positions are being fully staffed.  Billerica resident Becky Arevalo, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, described her experiences: “When I first realized I was struggling, I was fortunate enough to be able to get immediate care at the VA.  If those positions are eliminated or overloaded, it will create a serious void for soldiers in crisis. The VA therapists play a vital role in helping soldiers regain their confidence.  I know mine helped me succeed in the world again.  I'm extremely appreciative to see Congresswoman Tsongas taking the lead on behalf of veterans everywhere.”

I was proud to vote for the most comprehensive modernization of the Montgomery GI Bill in order to give veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan access to the college education they will need to achieve the American dream they risked so much to defend.   As our newest generation of veterans fill university classrooms, many are still struggling with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other serious forms of depression.  I introduced legislation to create a pilot program to train counselors at higher education facilities to recognize the signs of PTSD and other mental health conditions affecting the veteran student population.  These counselors may be the most easily accessible mental health professionals for veterans taking advantage of their GI Bill benefits and they should be trained and ready to help our veterans succeed and heal. 

Guaranteeing access to service records

I authored a bill last year entitled the Improving Veterans’ Electronic Transition Services Act (iVETS Act), which would encourage the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to create an internet based portal for veterans to access their records and benefits information electronically.  It would model the web-based portal for veterans after the Defense Knowledge Online system which all active duty military members use to access their Official Military Personnel File but which they lose access to once they become veterans.

Veterans and their families have repeatedly expressed frustration with the cumbersome process they have to go through in order to transfer their military records and benefit information from military to civilian life.  The web based portal that my bill would create would provide unprecedented benefits to veterans.  

For example, if a servicemember received an Army Achievement Medal for their actions when his/her convoy was hit by an improvised explosive device, and as a veteran, s/he later starts to experience TBI symptoms, the award citation – which would be part of  his/her personnel electronic records – could help the veteran prove a service related connection and could expedite needed medical benefits.  The Veterans Administration has now taken it upon themselves to create such a system, and I look forward to seeing it unveiled.

Ensuring that the VA meets the needs of our nation’s veterans

One of my first votes in Congress was in support of the largest single increase for veterans programs in the 77-year history of the Veteran’s Administration.  In 2009, I cosponsored the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act, which was signed into law on October 22, 2009, to ensure the VA receives adequate funding and resources each and every year, allowing it to provide our veterans with the best health care and services possible.  The law also provides additional oversight to make the VA health care system more effective and efficient. 

In 2010, I voted to increase VA health care funding by $3.7 billion over the previous year to meet the needs of our veterans, including more than 439,000 veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq.  I also supported funding to hire 4,048 new permanent VA claims processors to decrease the backlog of veterans’ benefit claims ensuring veterans receive the quality care and benefits they deserve as quickly as possible. 

Democrats in Congress also made a number of historic investments in both veterans’ services and health care including:

• New GI Bill to restore promise of a full, four-year college education for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan and their families—sending more than 600,000 to college

• Expand new GI Bill college benefits to all children of fallen troops since 9/11/01

• Extend new GI Bill education benefits to veterans seeking vocational and on-thejob training, as well as National Guardsmen and veterans taking advantage of online education and distance learning

• Give businesses a $2,400 tax credit for hiring unemployed veterans.

• Made it a priority to expand relief, homeownership opportunities, and refinancing options for veterans

• Guarantee timely and reliable funding for VA medical, authorizing Congress to provide these investments a year in advance, delivering the #1 priority of veterans organizations
   
• Strengthen quality health care for 5.6 million veterans—including 536,000 of Afghanistan & Iraq—through a 70% increase in veterans health care and other services since 1/2007.
   
• Providing nearly 18,000 new doctors and nurses for the VA