Veterans Issues
Dear Friends,
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Welcome to my Veterans web page. Here, you will find important information regarding veterans and military related initiatives and legislation. But more importantly, I hope you understand the appreciation I have for those who have served and continue to serve this country, and the commitment I make to provide them with the dignity, respect and benefits that they have earned.
We must provide for those who willingly put themselves in harm's way in the defense of our every day freedoms. I am committed to providing our troops with the resources they need to do their jobs, during peacetime and war. To that end, I will work tirelessly on the House Armed Services Committee to make sure our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen and women have what it takes to keep themselves and our nation safe.
I also believe that we have a moral obligation to our nation's veterans, whether they've served for 3 years or for 30. The Department of Veterans Affairs must be adequately funded to provide veterans with the benefits they are entitled to and we cannot let bureaucracy lead to the denial of benefits.
I am honored to represent Maine's current and former military members in Congress.
More on Veterans Issues
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree sent a later today urging the U.S. Air Force to help address a REAL ID issue that could prevent hundreds of Maine veterans from continuing to receive their health care at a Veterans Affairs (VA) clinic on Pease Air National Guard Base in Newington, New Hampshire. Pingree was joined on the letter by Congresswoman Ann McLane Kuster of New Hampshire.
I had the pleasure of attending a number of events this spring and summer to meet veterans and hear directly about the concerns--a few snapshots are below.
--Chellie
Moving Wall in Thomaston
Maine VFW Convention
Congresswoman Pingree at the opening of the VA Clinic in Portland in 2011.
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree is leading a bipartisan effort to expedite the approval of a lease to significantly expand a VA outpatient clinic in Portland.
On the heels of a Human Rights Watch report that documents and draws attention to the experience of survivors of military sexual trauma, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of Senate Armed Services Committee, and U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME) wrote Secretary of Defense Ash Carter urging the Pentagon to reform their procedures for reviewing the cases of veterans improperly discharged after experiencing military sexual trauma.
At a press conference in Washington today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree called on the Department of Defense to change practices that have led tens of thousands of veterans to be improperly discharged from the military.
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree told a top VA official today that the independent contractor running the Veterans Choice program isn't meeting the needs of veterans and should be replaced. In a phone call with Dr. David Shulkin, Under Secretary for Health at the VA, Pingree said veterans are waiting too long for appointments, doctors are waiting too long for payments and that Health Net, the company administering the program in this part of the country, is to blame.
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree used her position on the powerful House Appropriations Committee to get numerous provisions into a defense bill that will help veterans, including those seeking care in the VA, homeless female veterans, veterans who need service dogs and the families of veterans. Pingree also was able to insure that the bill contains $75 million in funding to maintain and modernize the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.