More than 35,000 veterans, spanning generations, are active members in our Tenth District community. These heroes and their families have made tremendous personal sacrifices protecting our freedom. We must do more to serve them when they return home.

The Purple Heart Heroes Act will help veterans who have been wounded in combat by empowering them with access to their local commissary, including the commissary located at Great Lakes Naval Base in North Chicago, Ill. Currently, three groups of veterans are allowed access to commissaries and Morale, Welfare and Recreation retail locations: veterans who retired after 20 or more years of service, veterans who are 100% service disabled and medal of honor recipients. The Purple Heart Heroes Act adds this fourth qualifying group so that any veteran who received a Purple Heart, and from that injury is eligible for benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs, would also have access.

The bill was inspired by Tenth District resident Darryl Burkett and brought to my attention by my Veterans Advisory Board, which consists of local veterans from across our district. Burkett served in Vietnam and received a Purple Heart for wounds he sustained in combat. However, he currently does not qualify for commissary access. If a veteran has bled for our country, he has done more than enough to qualify for this benefit.

While certainly not the whole solution, this bill would bring us one step closer to ensuring veterans get the care they need. Read the bill: