Veterans

Veterans fought to protect our freedoms and ensure our way of life and one of my top priorities is to make sure America takes care of the veterans who have dedicated their lives to serving our country. I am proud to serve on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee to help ensure that we honor the promises our government has made to our veterans.

Veterans Benefits

I supported legislation that would authorize disabled military retirees to receive both military retired pay and VA disability compensation concurrently. I also co-sponsored legislation to repeal the offset of Survivor Benefit Plan annuities. If retirement benefits for America’s service men and women and their survivors continue to erode, our troops and veterans will lose faith in their chosen careers and in our nation’s commitment to them. Also, as we continue to rely more and more on our Guard and Reservists, we must ensure that we provide them with the benefits and quality of life equal to the demands we make of them.

Veterans Health Care

I firmly believe the VA must work closely with the Department of Defense to ensure that veterans and their families are provided with timely and high-quality health care services.

I support the Veterans Health Care Empowerment Act, which would allow veterans with service-connected disabilities to go to any hospital or medical clinic of their choice. The Department of Veterans Affairs health care system has consistently been ranked among the best in the nation, and I believe that most veterans will choose to remain with the VA. However, this legislation will ensure that veterans, particularly those in rural areas, have additional options.

I also applaud the collaboration that takes place every day in Augusta, Georgia, where the Eisenhower Army Medical Center and the Augusta VA Medical Center work together to treat active duty service members returning from Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom who have sustained combat injuries. This model should be duplicated across our nation.

Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Concerns regarding health care for veterans and injured U.S. soldiers came to light in 2007 in the wake of a series of articles on the bureaucratic delays and substandard conditions for long-term patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. After reading about the condition of Building 18 at Walter Reed, I requested a tour of all the outpatient facilities at the hospital. Building 18 is in need of repair and attention, but all of the other facilities were state-of-the-art and in excellent condition. I was very pleased with the swift and decisive action of Secretary Gates in addressing these issues at Walter Reed. I unequivocally believe that anything short of providing the finest care our nation can provide to our soldiers is totally unacceptable.

National Guard and Reserves

I have worked hard to expand benefits for Reservists, National Guardsmen and their families. We honor the many men and women who have selflessly served and their families who sacrifice so much during their absence. We recognize their dedicated service to our country during the global war on terror and have implemented numerous benefits on their behalf. In recent years, Congress has enacted legislation to improve medical readiness, increase retention and ensure health coverage for those who continue to serve.

I have introduced legislation to create a reintegration program for National Guard personnel returning from combat. This legislation would ensure that service members and their families receive the training and assistance they need in order to successfully transition from the battlefield back to civilian life. The legislation is modeled after the Minnesota National Guard’s “Beyond the Yellow Ribbon” program.