Bio of Ranking Member Michaud

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Serving Maine’s Second Congressional District in Congress since 2003, Representative Mike Michaud is currently in his sixth term serving on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Maine’s Second Congressional District is the largest congressional district by size east of the Mississippi River and one of the most veteran-populated districts per capita in the country. Michaud was elected to be the Ranking Member of the full Committee on December 5th, 2012 and previously held leadership positions on the Subcommittee on Health and the Subcommittee on Benefits.

Raised in Medway, Maine, Michaud followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather by working in the local paper mill. While working at the mill for nearly 30 years, he was also active in public service. Michaud was elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 1980 where he went on to serve seven consecutive terms. In 1994, he was elected to the Maine Senate where he served as Chair of the Appropriations Committee. In 2000, he was unanimously elected Maine Senate President. Writing on his time in the Maine Legislature, the Portland Press Herald described Michaud “as being the first legislator to come to work in the morning and the last to leave at night.”

In addition to conducting numerous site visits to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities across the country, Michaud has been to Iraq and Afghanistan where he led bipartisan congressional delegation visits to forward operating bases and medical facilities in order to examine in-theater medical care. These trips helped administration officials and Committee members gain valuable insights into the health care services that members of the military receive before they come home and go to the VA.

Over the years, Michaud and his colleagues on the Committee led the fight to pass significant legislation that provided historic budget increases for the VA, expanded access to VA health care, improved health services for all veterans, and modernized benefits earned by America’s servicemembers. Michaud also wrote legislation creating a new program that provides support to veteran caregivers by offering them training and access to mental health counseling. The bill also provides 24-hour respite care in the veteran’s home, which gives caregivers temporary relief without them having to leave the veteran at a medical facility.

Recently, Michaud worked across the aisle to pass a bill improving long-term care for elderly and severely disabled veterans that are at state veterans homes. With over 25,000 beds in state veterans’ homes nationwide, this type of care is a critical link in the support system for veterans. Unfortunately, state veterans homes have been inadequately reimbursed for the care they provide, which could limit access to care for many veterans. Michaud’s bill, which was signed into law in 2012, requires the VA to enter into contracts with these state homes so that they are reimbursed adequately for the services and care they provide.