Veterans

So many veterans have planned their lives around the benefits promised to them as service members and they should not be forced to bear the burden of balancing our Nation's budget on their backs. We cannot afford to break our promises of retirement and health security they earned. Our obligation to those who served abroad does not end when they return home.

If you have a question about VA benefits, would like to apply for benefits, have a question about your application, or believe that the Department of Veterans Affairs has not given your case proper consideration, please contact (210) 704-1080 (my San Antonio office) or (512) 916-5921 (my Austin office).

Helping Veterans Get the Care They Need

After hearing from some of our neighbors about the need for additional care for our veterans in Central Texas, I worked to ensure that the new Austin Outpatient Clinic (AOC) became a reality. The facility in Texas became the largest veterans' clinic of its kind anywhere in America, with triple the size of the old clinic and double the clinic staff. If any veteran represented by me feels they are not getting the VA care they earned, please let me know so I can help.

Ending Veteran Homelessness

I joined Austin Mayor Steve Adler, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, and Manuel “Manny” Moran, a formerly homeless veteran of our U.S. Army, in announcing that Austin has eliminated homelessness for our veterans. Austin joined other Texas cities, including San Antonio, in eliminating homelessness for veterans. We understand that those who undertook grave risk to life and limb to keep us safe deserve to have a roof over their head. While they may have had to live on the hard ground in a tent while on duty overseas, it should not become a permanent way of life back home.