Heitkamp To Honor Veterans, Call for Better Access to Services They Need on Veterans Day

Press Release

On Veterans Day, U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp will join North Dakota veterans, servicemembers, and their families at events at the Heritage Center in Bismarck and at the AMVETS Veterans Day ceremony to honor veterans from all eras. Heitkamp will speak about the need to recognize our veterans and the families who share in their sacrifice every day by honoring the nation's commitments to them -- including access to high-quality benefits, health services, and community resources.

Heitkamp has been fighting to improve access to crucial services for veterans in the U.S. Senate and working to improve the Veterans Choice program so North Dakota veterans get quality, timely care in their home communities. At Heitkamp's urging, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) opened a Vet Center in Grand Forks in May so veterans in the Grand Forks region have easier access to needed counseling services. Heitkamp has consistently pressed for strong funding for veterans' care -- particularly to address mental health needs of veterans in rural areas -- and helped secure strong support for such services in the spending bill Congress passed in September.

"When our men and women in the United States armed forces volunteer to protect our country, it means they and their families serve every day. That sense of service continues after they take off the uniform," said Heitkamp. "As a nation, we owe them a deep debt of gratitude and respect -- not just on Veterans Day, but every day by making sure they can access the resources they need and deserve. In the U.S. Senate, I've been fighting for the care and services our servicemembers in North Dakota ought to have, and to make sure our communities are prepared for veterans returning home. From the VA answering my call for a Vet Center in Grand Forks and working toward reforming the Veterans Choice program, to helping Congress pass strong support for veterans' mental health resources, I'll keep fighting for our veterans each and every day."

A staunch advocate for veterans, Heitkamp has long fought to make sure North Dakota's veterans get the support and services they deserve. In 2013, she conducted a six-city tour of the state, holding roundtables with veterans to discuss obstacles they encounter to critical services. Heitkamp's efforts to help veterans include:

Successfully pressing VA for a Vet Center in Grand Forks: In November 2015, Heitkamp began pressuring VA Under Secretary David Shulkin and VA Secretary Robert McDonald to bring a much-needed Vet Center to Grand Forks. Six months later, the U.S. Senate agreed unanimously to include her bipartisan legislation to strengthen the case for a Grand Forks Vet Center in a spending bill the chamber passed in May. Specifically, her legislation required better coordination between the VA's Readjustment Counseling Service and the Office of Rural Health to make sure veterans in rural areas can access the support they need. At the end of May, the Grand Forks Vet Center formally opened for area-veterans.

Reforming Veterans Choice program: Heitkamp is working to make needed reforms to the Veterans Choice program, bringing together North Dakota veterans, experts and care providers to identify ways to improve veterans' access to needed health services. In August, Heitkamp convened veterans, local U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) leaders, and health care providers to discuss fixes she has proposed to the program. In March, Heitkamp helped introduce a bill to reform the Veterans Choice program. The Improving Veterans Access to Care in the Community Act would give the VA flexibility to improve care for North Dakota veterans by streamlining and consolidating community care programs, while eliminating bureaucratic obstacles preventing veterans from accessing care.

Securing strong support for veterans' health services: In December 2015, Heitkamp supported and helped Congress pass a bipartisan year-end spending bill which included $258 million for Readjustment Counseling Services -- $15 million above the requested level. The increased funds are directed towards Vet Centers to address unmet mental health needs of veterans in rural and very rural areas like North Dakota, and Heitkamp consistently pushed for VA to use those funds in Grand Forks.

Honoring North Dakota Vietnam service members: Heitkamp collaborated with more than 150 eleventh-graders from Bismarck High School to gather information on these fallen North Dakotans and incorporated their research into a series of 15 speeches she gave on the floor on the U.S. Senate from March through August 2015 to share stories about these servicemembers' lives. In November 2015, Heitkamp met with some of the students to help lay more than 30 artifacts the students made to honor North Dakotans who died in Vietnam beneath the servicemembers' names on the wall of the Memorial.

Connecting new veterans to resources -- In 2015, Heitkamp reintroduced her Connect with Veterans Act which would better connect new veterans with job opportunities in their communities, other veterans, and additional resources and benefits. Heitkamp also successfully pushed for the spending bill Congress passed in September to include $14.2 billion in additional funding for VA programs and services, such as mental health services, readjustment counseling at Vet Centers, and family caregiver support.

Supporting Native American veterans -- In October 2015, Heitkamp hosted her second Native American Veterans Summit on the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indian reservation. The Summit brought together Native veterans, officials from the VA and Indian Health Service, and other advocates to help Native veterans learn more about ongoing initiatives to connect them with services and benefits. Her first Native Veterans Summit took place in June 2014 at United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck.

Responding to problems at the VA -- Heitkamp took immediate action to respond to disgraceful scheduling misconduct at VA facilities nationwide. Heitkamp worked with North Dakota officials to confirm that state VA facilities were not delaying services to veterans, and then worked to pass bipartisan legislation addressing the situation. The bill improves access to services, which Heitkamp pushed for in order to help veterans living in rural areas as well as Native American veterans access care more easily.
Leading efforts to raise awareness of post-traumatic stress -- Heitkamp leads congressional efforts every year to raise awareness about challenges veterans encounter with post-traumatic stress. Understanding the need to provide support for mental health and traumatic stress, Heitkamp worked to reduce the stigmas associated with post-traumatic stress as well as encourage private partnerships so employers hire more veterans.

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