Colorado is home to over 400,000 veterans, and Michael is committed to making our state the best place for servicemembers, veterans, and their families to work, live, and retire. Michael believes veterans deserve timely access to high-quality care in the manner that makes sense for them. Too often, veterans are prevented from accessing their full benefits because of outdated regulations and an unaccountable bureaucracy. Michael has worked across the aisle to introduce commonsense reforms, making it easier for veterans and their families to receive the care they deserve.

Michael worked with his colleagues from Colorado to create a program that allows veterans who live more than 40 miles from a clinic to receive their care at non-VA medical clinics. And, because Coloradans know that 40 miles as the crow flies is not the same as 40 miles through winding mountain roads, Michael made sure the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) used actual driving distance. When he heard complaints that health care providers in the program were encountering reimbursement delays, Michael successfully lobbied for the elimination of a regulation causing the hold-up, expediting payment to providers.

Michael also has partnered with Colorado lawmakers to ensure that the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in Aurora will be completed and that future VA construction projects are effectively managed. He has introduced bipartisan legislation to change the culture at the VA, give employees tools to punish wrongdoing, and strengthen protections for whistleblowers.