Generations Invigorating Volunteerism And Education Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. KLEIN of Florida. I thank the gentleman.

Mr. Chairman, Members, I rise in strong support of this amendment and the underlying bill. Congressman Teague and I introduced this amendment in order to clarify the services that could be formed by Veterans' Corps volunteers anywhere.

I represent Palm Beach and Broward Counties in south Florida, home to many of our Nation's veterans. We all agree that when Americans who wear the military uniform return from service, they deserve to be treated with the highest level of respect and dignity that they have earned. This includes making sure they receive the benefits they are entitled to, and I know we all share that commitment.

While the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and military staff work hard to ensure that every veteran gets full advantage of the benefits they have earned, some veterans still have difficulty navigating the system and coming up with all the necessary documents. By allowing trained Veterans' Corps volunteers to guide them through this process, we can ensure more veterans obtain the benefits they were promised.

With thousands of new servicemembers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, the job of the Veterans' Corps is more critical than ever. As of September 2008, 330,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans have filed disability claims with the VA; yet, 54,000 are still waiting for confirmation that the VA even received their claims. The average wait for a disability claim is more than 6 months. This amendment could help these veterans access the services they need.

I can think of few priorities greater or more urgent than providing basic services such as these to our brave men and women who serve to protect our country, secure our peace, and safeguard our way of life.

I would like to thank my colleague, Congressman Teague, for working with me on this amendment, and particularly Chairman Miller for introducing this important piece of legislation, which will enable hundreds of thousands of Americans to dedicate their time to a cause that is bigger than themselves through volunteerism and community service. I urge adoption of this amendment and a ``yes'' vote on the underlying legislation for the betterment of our community and our country as a whole.

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