Veterans

Urged Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary to Take Action on the Redevelopment of the Lincoln VA Campus: Senator Fischer sent a letter to VA Secretary Robert McDonald regarding the development of the Lincoln, Nebraska, VA campus. In the letter, she called on the secretary to work with stakeholders to resolve the problems that are preventing the redevelopment of the Lincoln VA campus. Following Senator Fischer’s request, the VA held a meeting with stakeholders to further discuss the project.
Launched Initiative to Honor Nebraska’s Fallen Veterans on the U.S. Senate Floor: According to the Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs, there are 77 Nebraskans who lost their lives in combat-related incidents in Iraq and Afghanistan. Senator Fischer devotes time on the Senate floor to remember the lives of these Nebraska heroes. Click the links below to watch each of Senator Fischer’s tributes:

Introduced Legislation to Ensure Veteran Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Employees Have Access to Sick Leave: Senator Fischer joined Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) to introduce legislation that will update current law and apply it to disabled veteran employees at the FAA. This law already grants paid leave to veteran federal employees at other government agencies. Through this bipartisan legislation, disabled veteran employees at the FAA would be able to access sick leave while receiving treatment for injuries they sustained serving our country. The legislation was also included as an amendment in the Senate Federal Aviation Reauthorization Act.

Created a New Commercial Driver Pilot Program for Young Veterans. The young men and women of our military have acquired important skills and training through their service overseas. Under a new program Senator Fischer championed in the highway bill, returning service members age 18-21 who hold a commercial driver’s license can drive commercial trucks across state lines. Forty-nine states already permit drivers under the age of 21 to operate commercial vehicles within their borders. This is a common-sense approach to allow these commercial drivers to deliver goods, for example, from Omaha to Council Bluffs.
Urged Improvements to Veterans Choice Program: Senator Fischer joined a bipartisan group of senators in sending a letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs, which called for improvements to the Veterans Choice Program. The senators conveyed their concerns regarding reduced funding for the program, as well as the department’s implementation of the “40-mile rule,” which is inconveniencing veterans across Nebraska.
Voted for Veterans Suicide Prevention Bill: Senator Fischer voted for The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act. The bill, which was signed into law on February 12, 2015, sets up important procedures to protect our veterans and give them the proper care to prevent suicide.

Introduced the PAWS Act to Help Veterans with PTSD: Senator Fischer joined Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J) to introduce the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) Act. The bill directs the VA, through its Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation, to implement a five-year pilot program to provide veterans with service dogs and veterinary health insurance.

Committed to finding jobs for veterans: Senator Fischer is an original cosponsor of the Hire More Heroes Act of 2014 (S. 2190). The bill fosters job opportunities for those who have dutifully served our country by removing one of the burdensome requirements of ObamaCare preventing small businesses from hiring. This legislation provides a reprieve for job creators hurting under ObamaCare while also helping to ease the transition of our men and women in uniform back to civilian life.

Voted for VA reforms: Senator Fischer voted for the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 (S.2450) to make needed changes to our veterans’ healthcare system. In response to shocking reports of VA employees failing to do their jobs while our nation’s heroes waited for care, Congress united to pass needed reforms. One critical change in the law allows veterans to receive care from private doctors if they live more than 40 miles away from a VA facility, or if agency doctors cannot see them within 30 days. Importantly, the bill grants the VA Secretary power to fire employees who fail to perform their duties. It also authorizes funding for leases to use medical facilities at 27 existing sites around the country, including an outpatient clinic in Lincoln.

Worked to hold VA accountable, ban bonuses for poor performance: Senators Fischer and Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, introduced legislation to prohibit the payment of bonuses to employees at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) through Fiscal Year 2015. The VHA, which manages medical centers across the country, was under investigation for placing veterans on “secret wait lists” to allegedly hide the true number of veterans waiting for care for more than two weeks. Reports suggest dozens of veterans across the nation died while waiting for VHA-provided care.

114th Congress