Issue Position: Veterans Issues

Issue Position

We owe our veterans a sacred pledge: that just as the military leaves no one behind on the battlefield, we must leave no veteran behind here at home.

During the Democratic majority, we were proud to pass the largest increases in veterans funding in history -- making historic investments in our veterans' access to health care, economic and educational opportunities with the enactment of the Post 9/11 GI Bill; quadrupling the reimbursement for veterans traveling to receive care; dramatically expanding benefits and services for caregivers, spouses, and dependents; and restoring the promise of a full, four year scholarship for veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We cannot rest until all veteran claims are settled in a manner that is expedient and transparent, until no veteran in need of care is ever turned away from a Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facility, and until no veteran is forced to sleep on the street. That is why Democrats expanded and bolstered programs and services from mental health, medical care to GI benefits to help address the critical issues facing our nation's service members, their families and caregivers struggling with the seen and unseen scars of war.

I will continue to champion modern solutions to eliminate the VA claims backlog, ensure meaningful reforms and accountability at the VA, and demand greater access to timely and quality care. Now more than ever, we must continue to improve care and benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder and mental health, expand support to caregivers, combat veteran homelessness once and for all and incentivize businesses to hire more veterans.

We have a moral obligation to show the men and women in uniform the same measure of devotion that they have shown our country. We must continue to renew our unwavering commitment in serving our veterans as well as they have served us.

Source