Long before COVID-19, America was grappling with another deadly affliction – veteran suicide. Every day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, for two decades and counting, an average of 20 servicemembers and veterans die by suicide. That amounts to 140 lives lost every week, 7,280 lives lost every year, and 145,600 lives lost since 2000. Each one of those deaths is a tragedy and, recently, that tragedy hit close to home for those of us in East Tennessee with the loss of one of our own – U.S. Army... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.), the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, released the following statement after sending a letter to Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer urging House consideration of S. 785, as amended, the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019, this week: "Today, I join my friends in the Senate, in VA, and in the veteran service organization community in calling on the House to pass S. 785 whe... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.), the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.), the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance & Memorial Affairs (DAMA), and Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, released the following statements after introducing the Veteran Benefits Enhancement and Expansion Act of 2020: "The Veteran Benefits Enhancement and Expansion Act of 202... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.), the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, released the following statement after the release of the President's Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS) Task Force report: "I applaud Dr. Van Dahlen and the entire President’s PREVENTS Task Force on the release of their roadmap to preventing veteran suicide today," said Ranking Member Roe. "I was honored to have Dr. Van Dahlen and her... Read more

On Monday, our nation will pause in observance of Memorial Day to honor the servicemembers we have lost in the line of duty. This day is a stark reminder of the cost of our freedoms, and a time to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country as well as the families they leave behind. Due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, this Memorial Day will look different than in previous years. Although we may not be able to gather together like we typically would with our neighbors, ... Read more

Today, Rep. Phil Roe M.D. (R-Tenn.), the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, released the following statement encouraging the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of the Treasury to continue working together to expedite processing of stimulus payments for veterans without any further delay. Last week, VA and the Treasury announced that veterans who receive compensation and pension benefits from VA but who are not required to file an annual federal t... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives unanimously passed House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member, Dr. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) and Chairman Mark Takano’s (D-Calif.) bipartisan Student Veteran Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 (H.R. 6322). This key legislation — introduced last week with more than 51 cosponsors and wide VSO support — expands on language passed in S. 3503 and signed into law to further minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student veterans as school... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.) and Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) introduced the bipartisan Student Veteran Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 - key legislation to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student veterans as schools and universities have taken proactive measures to mitigate the spread of the virus. “Over the last two weeks, we have worked hard to assure student veterans that the support they count on fr... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.), the Ranking Member of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, released the following statement after the Committee held a legislative hearing on H.R. 3495, the IMPROVE Act, which is bipartisan legislation cosponsored by 228 Members of Congress to prevent suicide among our nation’s veterans: "2,960 – that’s how many veteran and servicemember lives have been lost to suicide since the introduction of this bipartisan bill 148 days ago. Preventing ... Read more

Growing up, my father worked in a factory and my mother worked as a bank teller. I lived at home while attending Austin Peay State University before enrolling in medical school at the University of Tennessee. After graduating – and serving our country in the U.S. Army – I was able to use my G.I. Bill benefits to pay for a portion of my medical school education. Because of this benefit, I never had to take out student loans, giving me the ability to graduate college without debt. As I reflect bac... Read more