Veterans

As a nation, we have a sacred obligation to our veterans. Those who have sacrificed so much must know that their voices are being heard in Congress. I have and will continue to work diligently with my colleagues to ensure proper oversight of the Veterans Administration to protect the benefits our veterans have earned.

Congress must hold the VA accountable and remove red tape that keeps it from doing its primary function—helping veterans. As millions of veterans return home, programs covering mental health, business, education, and home loans must be properly funded and administered.

Since I was first elected to Congress, I have supported historic improvements to the VA’s community care program as well as a massive overhaul of the outdated appeals and benefits claims system. Additionally, I have helped to adopt critical policy changes to bring much-needed accountability for those who fail in their duty to help our nation’s heroes. From the Sixth Congressional District’s two VA facilities, the St. Cloud VA Medical Center and the Ramsey Community Based Outpatient Clinic, to the over 38,000 individual veterans who call Minnesota’s Sixth their home, I will continue to fight for the brave men and women who have fought for our freedoms.

Here is a snapshot of my work to support our nation’s heroes, our veterans:

• While the VA provides important services to our nation’s heroes, it also must be held accountable for its mistakes. That is why I am a cosponsor of the VA Billing Accountability Act to protect veterans from erroneous medical billing.
• Nearly every hour, a veteran ends their own life. I am a cosponsor of the Sgt. Brandon Ketchum Never Again Act to ensure that a veteran trying to receive psychiatric care receives it in a time of crisis.
• All too often, veterans do not receive the benefits they have rightfully earned not to due lack of service to their country, but thanks to arcane and bureaucratic red tape that the federal government places in the way. I support the Retired Pay Restoration Act so that a veteran can receive their full disability compensation from the VA and the military simultaneously.