Delaware's Congressional Delegation is hosting a job fair for veterans and their families on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016, at Middletown Fire Hall, 27 W. Green St., Middletown, DE 19709. The fair is free for employers and attendees and runs from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. For more information, call (302) 674-3308.

Participating businesses:

• Air Force Reserve
• Bank of America
• Bayada Home Health Care
• Cabela’s
• Christiana Care Health Systems
• Community Systems, Inc. (CSI)
• Delaware Air National Guard
• Delaware Commission of Veterans Affairs
• Delaware – Department of State, Office of Human Resources
• Delaware Department of Labor, Veterans Affairs
• Delaware Division of Libraries
• Delaware Express Shuttle
• Delaware Transit Corporation
• DelDOT
• Delaware River and Bay Authority
• Delaware State Police
• Diamond Materials
• Dover Police Department
• Edgewell Personal Care
• Glen Mills Schools
• ILC Dover
• Legal Shield
• The Food Bank of Delaware
• G4S Security Solutions
• Hertrich Family of Dealerships
• JPMorgan Chase
• Life After the Military: What’s Next
• Kelly Services
• Modern Maturity Center
• Navient
• New Castle County Police
• People’s Place
• PolyTech Adult Education
• Price Auto Group
• Rideshare Delaware
• Robert Half
• Sposato Landscaping
• State of Delaware- Office of Management and Budget
• Transamerica
• Uber Technologies
• University of Delaware: Alternate Routes to Certification for Teachers
• University of Delaware: Division of Professional & Continuing Studies
• University of Delaware: Office of Human Resources
• University of Delaware: Procurement Technical Assistance Center
• U.S. Census Bureau
• Wilmington Job Corps

Providing Timely and Quality Health Benefits to Every Veteran

As a veteran, I understand the sacrifices that the men and women of the Armed Forces and their families have made to defend our nation’s freedoms. I’ve been disturbed by the reports of misconduct at some of the Veterans Administration medical facilities around the country. Every veteran deserves the access to the top-quality healthcare they earned through their service.

I believe it’s important that investigations continue to examine the care that veterans are receiving in Delaware and around the country and quickly identify solutions to fix the problem where we are currently falling short of providing the timely and thorough care our veterans deserve.

Last year I voted for legislation to address the issues facing the Department of Veterans Affairs. On July 31, 2014, the Senate passed H.R. 3230, the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014, which was subsequently signed into law by President Barack Obama. This legislation greatly improves veterans' access to health care services, particularly for those who have been waiting too long for essential care. The bill increases accountability for VA employees, while also providing the VA with the resources it needs to hire more doctors, nurses, and clinical staff to reduce wait times and maintain high-quality care at VA medical facilities across the country. Congress has sent a bill to the President that helps the Department of Veterans Affairs meet its responsibilities and, in the words of President Lincoln, 'To care for him who shall have borne the battle.' Congress, the President, and the leadership of the VA must continue working together to improve veterans' access to health care and to restore both veterans' and taxpayers' trust in the agency. My colleagues and I are continuing to review the ongoing implementation of this law, and review where improvements are still needed.

If you are a veteran, or you know a veteran, in need of care who has had trouble making an appointment, please visit my constituent services page to find contact information for my Delaware offices.

Listening to Veterans

Every year I hold a veterans summit at the Wilmington VA with veterans, veterans service organization representatives, and our local VA staff and leadership to discuss ongoing efforts to honor, serve, and care for veterans and ensure they receive the care and benefits they deserve.

At this year’s veterans summit in March, we were fortunate to be joined by VA Secretary Robert A. McDonald.  Secretary McDonald, a West Point graduate, was nominated by President Barack Obama to lead the VA at a difficult time.  Recognizing Secretary McDonald’s qualifications to lead, he was confirmed by the Senate 97-0.

During his visit, Secretary McDonald shared how he was restructuring the agency, focusing on fixing its problems, and making sure our veterans are the top priority. I am proud that we had the opportunity to host the Secretary in the First State and that he was able to meet with our veterans, VA medical center staff, and students at the University of Delaware. He is committed to providing the veterans who sacrificed so much for us with the care and benefits they rightly deserve and I will continue working with my colleagues in the Senate to carry out this critical mission.

Making Veterans Employment a Top Priority

As a veteran, I know firsthand the sacrifices members of our military make by defending our nation. We have a responsibility to ensure that our returning heroes have resources and opportunities when they arrive home. That’s why, in 2012, I joined the new, bipartisan Senate Veterans Jobs Caucus, chaired by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.). We formed this caucus to focus on ways to decrease the unemployment rate of our nation’s 857,000 unemployed veterans, and we have committed to:

• Develop an “I Hire Veterans” Program that encourages veteran hiring within U.S. Senate offices.
• Hold monthly Member or staff-level events to share information on veterans employment initiatives.
• Monitor veterans employment issues by working with constituents, government and service organizations.
• Work with state, local and national employers on programs to hire veterans.

I joined this caucus because I am committed to ensuring our nation’s service members are able to return to the civilian workforce and lead successful lives. As of August 2014, the number of unemployed veterans has decreased to 671,000. While we’re making progress, we still have more work to do.

As part of my goal to help our veterans find jobs, I have joined with Senator Coons and Representative Carney to host multiple jobs fairs throughout Delaware just for our veterans.

Strengthening Veterans Education Benefits

We have a moral imperative to ensure that those who have sacrificed for our country obtain the best education possible, one that will equip them with the skills they need to find a good job, repay their college loans, and go on to live productive lives. When I returned from Southeast Asia, the G.I. Bill made it possible for me to go to business school at the University of Delaware. Our vets returning home from across the world today deserve the same – if not better – opportunities than I received all those years ago. That’s why I introduced the Military and Veterans Education Protection Act of 2015. This legislation encourages all schools to provide high-quality educational opportunities to our service members and veterans, while ensuring that we get better results from taxpayer funded programs like the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill.