Issue Position: Military Families

Issue Position

It is our duty to provide for the military families who have sacrificed so much to protect us. And Rosa has helped to secure a landmark expansion of educational benefits for veterans, providing benefits to cover the cost of a four-year education, along with a stipend for housing, books and other expenses.

Recently, Rosa focused her efforts on measures to improve the ability of our Defense Department and Department of Veterans' Affairs to support the wave of troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with mental health needs. She has introduced legislation to improve pre and post-deployment mental health screenings, increase access to mental health services for children and families of deployed soldiers and veterans and improve coordination between the Defense Department and the Veterans Administration.

The state of Connecticut has more than 400,000 veterans, including hundreds returning wounded from Iraq and Afghanistan. During the appropriations process, Rosa has helped to secure large increases in funding for Veterans Affairs, including new initiatives for mental health and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Through the West Haven VA Hospital and the West Haven National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, this funding is directly benefiting veterans and military families in the Third District.

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