Kathleen Rice Announces Veterans Agenda and Veterans Advisory Committee

Press Release

Democratic congressional candidate Kathleen Rice (NY-04) released a whitepaper on veterans policy and announced the formation of her campaign's Veterans Advisory Committee at a press conference this afternoon. Prior to the announcement at the Veterans Memorial in Eisenhower Park, Rice joined outgoing Rep. Carolyn McCarthy for a tour of the Northport VA Medical Center. They were accompanied at the press conference by four members of Rice's newly formed Committee.

"I'm here today to announce the formation of our Veterans Advisory Committee, and I'm so grateful to have several members standing with me," said Kathleen Rice. "This committee is made up of local veterans and of course Congresswoman McCarthy, who has so much experience advocating for veterans in Congress. We'll work closely together throughout this campaign, and I'll rely on their experience and expertise to know how I can best serve our district's veterans in Congress.

"I'm also here today to release a whitepaper outlining my strategies for how I believe we can improve veteran support across the country. Congress must advocate for creative solutions to expand the VA's capacity to provide timely access to quality, comprehensive care to ensure that no veteran is left vulnerable when he or she returns home from service. That starts with addressing the physician shortage, which is one of the main challenges VA facilities -- and hospitals all over the country -- face in keeping up with the soaring demand for healthcare services. VA hospitals have also been overwhelmed by the influx of patients suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injury and other combat-derived mental illnesses. Congress should focus on building lasting public-private partnerships with not-for-profit hospitals and universities so that veterans in need of mental health treatment can access the best care available -- immediately.

"Our priorities also include measures to clear the backlog of benefits claims, help veterans find jobs and advance their careers, help homeless veterans find housing, and expand Veterans Courts, which identify and treat veterans who commit non-violent crimes as a result of PTSD and other combat-derived mental illnesses. These are some of the issues outlined in our agenda, some of the actions we must take to fulfill our sacred commitment to veterans who have sacrificed so much to serve our country."

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