Issue Position: Veterans and Military Families

Issue Position

Veterans and Military Families:

I am strongly committed to serving the needs of the veterans of our armed forces and their families, and I know how important it is that we treat our men and women in uniform with respect and care. As the daughter of an Air Force colonel whose childhood and teenage years were spent moving from one military base to another, I know how challenging, rewarding and stressful life in the military can be, and I appreciate the contributions, support and sacrifices made by each and every member of service families. There are more than 450,000 veterans in Massachusetts, and they have earned and deserve the best this country has to offer. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I have made it a priority to support and protect our servicemembers and veterans.

Veterans Advisory Committee and help for veterans and servicemembers. In order to ensure that I am able to stay connected to local veterans, their families, and organizations providing veterans with key services in our community, I created a Fifth District Veterans Advisory Committee. I meet regularly with this group, and a number of the legislative ideas that I have pursued in Congress have been generated or discussed during these helpful meetings.

I also have dedicated staff members to assist veterans and servicemembers when interacting with the Veterans Administration and other Federal agencies. My staff can assist with applying for benefits, health care, education programs, and other services. Please call my office to see how I can help or visit my veterans constituents page for resources available to veterans.

Helping our veterans transition to civilian life. After hearing from returning veterans about the difficulties in transitioning back to civilian life and the important role VA mental health professionals play, I testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Veterans Affairs Health Subcommittee to advocate the importance of improving the mental health care services and capabilities of the VA. I also introduced legislation to require the VA to report vacancies in mental health positions to ensure these critical positions are being fully staffed. Billerica resident Becky Arevalo, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, described her experiences: "When I first realized I was struggling, I was fortunate enough to be able to get immediate care at the VA. If those positions are eliminated or overloaded, it will create a serious void for soldiers in crisis. The VA therapists play a vital role in helping soldiers regain their confidence. I know mine helped me succeed in the world again. I'm extremely appreciative to see Congresswoman Tsongas taking the lead on behalf of veterans everywhere."

I was proud to vote for the most comprehensive modernization of the Montgomery GI Bill in order to give veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan access to the college education they will need to achieve the American dream they risked so much to defend. As our newest generation of veterans fill university classrooms, many are still struggling with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other serious forms of depression. I introduced legislation to create a pilot program to train counselors at higher education facilities to recognize the signs of PTSD and other mental health conditions affecting the veteran student population. These counselors may be the most easily accessible mental health professionals for veterans taking advantage of their GI Bill benefits and they should be trained and ready to help our veterans succeed and heal.

Guaranteeing access to service records. Veterans and military families have repeatedly told me that lack of access to service records places a frustrating and unnecessary burden on them as they apply for benefits through the VA. In order to ease this burden, I introduced the Improving Veterans Electronic Transition Services Act, or the iVETS act. The iVETS act will ease the transition from military life to civilian life by creating a veterans-only web portal that would allow veterans to access their service records electronically. The veterans-only web portal will also create forums for veterans to talk to other veterans and care providers, a "white-pages' directory for veterans to find each other, provide e-mail and a direct communication link with the Veterans Administration. In response to my bill, General Gordon Sullivan, president of the Association of the U.S. Army, said, "the establishment of a veterans-specific Web portal would make it much easier for servicememers, as they transition to veteran status, to have seamless access to their service, benefit, and health care information online."

Ensuring that the VA meets the needs of our nation's veterans. One of my first votes in Congress was in support of the largest single increase for veterans programs in the 77-year history of the Veteran's Administration. In 2009, I cosponsored the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act, which was signed into law on October 22, 2009, to ensure the VA receives adequate funding and resources each and every year, allowing it to provide our veterans with the best health care and services possible. The law also provides additional oversight to make the VA health care system more effective and efficient.

In 2010, I voted to increase the VA health care funding by $3.7 billion over the previous year to meet the needs of our veterans, including more than 439,000 veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq. I also supported funding to hire 4,048 new permanent VA claims processors to decrease the backlog of veterans' benefit claims ensuring veterans receive the quality care and benefits they deserve as quickly as possible.

Ensuring keep the benefits they've earned. Having grown up in the military and now serving on the Armed Services Committee, I've seen time and again the selfless personal sacrifice that is at the heart of military service. We must honor those who serve with laws that meaningfully support our servicemembers, veterans and their families. That is what I am a proud cosponsor of the Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act to allow veterans with service-connected disabilities to receive both the retirement pay they've earned and the disability pay they deserve without having to offset one for the other. Our veterans and military families have sacrificed so much for us, they should not have to sacrifice their rightful retirement or disability benefits.

Supporting our military families. Military service demands sacrifice from the whole family and it is our duty to make sure that military families are taken care of. I am a cosponsor of the Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act to allow military widows and widowers whose spouses died of service-related causes to receive the funds they paid into the Survivor Benefit Plan and the funds they are entitled to for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation without offset. Under current law, military survivors who deserve both payments face a cut of as much as $1,000 a month.

Military families also provide the most direct care to our servicemembers and veterans. Family caregivers provide critical care and support to our wounded veterans, often times at great personal and financial sacrifice. I voted for the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act, signed into law on May 5, 2010, to ensure that family caregivers have access to essential resources like counseling, support, and a living stipend. The law also expands mental health services to rural regions, improves traumatic brain injury care, and directs a comprehensive study of VA health care services for women veterans.

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