HONOR THE VOLUNTEER

HONOR THE VOLUNTEER

Captain Sam BrownTried and true devotion to the United States is never more evident than through the lives of our military service members, veterans and their families. Since our nation’s beginnings, countless men and women have selflessly answered the call of duty and in so doing pledged to relentlessly defend liberty and protect our homeland. These brave individuals truly understand the meaning of patriotism and know more of sacrifice than many of us will realize in a lifetime.

Because of the bravery, courage and commitment of our military, we are privileged to wake up each and every day feeling safe. But too often, we forget that this sense of security doesn’t come without a price. That sacrifice extends beyond those serving in combat.

When service members are deployed overseas or gone for long stints for training, that means time away from their spouses, children or other loved ones. During this absence, those left at home desperately need the support and love of their friends and neighbors. But that support system is especially critical when service members return home from war forever changed or don’t return at all.

As the service member successfully completes his/her obligation via enlistment either through a medical discharge or full term completion, our Government is obligated to fulfill their commitment with reasonable health care and other necessary promises made at the time of enlistment.

Accessible Housing

Veterans with disabilities need increased access to home modifications. To create new access for veterans who have limited benefits available through VA, we support legislation that would provide grants to nonprofits to help veterans with housing adaptations. We also support legislation that would provide tax credits to help with housing modifications. For veterans who are eligible for VA’s Special Adapted Housing program, we support streamlined program guidelines that help ensure that veterans, particularly those with terminal illnesses, are able to receive benefits in a timely manner.

Employment / Careers

Veterans who have acquired disabilities due to their military service need to know how to address barriers in returning to work or seeking education opportunities. To ensure veterans have this information, we support proper implementation of new requirements for all transitioning service members to receive information about disability-related employment and education protections. We also support efforts to ensure that veterans with disabilities have the opportunity to receive high-quality vocational rehabilitation services. When transitioning to the workforce, we support efforts to ensure new opportunities for employment with federal contractors and the federal government. We also support public-private partnerships to help connect veterans with disabilities to employers in all sectors.

Timely Health Care & Benefits

Veterans must have timely access to VA compensation and pension benefits. We support efforts to end the claims backlog and provide accurate decisions to veterans on their claims. Veterans with disabilities must have access to high-quality acute and long-term services and supports that allow them to remain as independent as possible. We support legislation that allows the family caregivers of veterans of all eras to participate in VA’s enhanced caregiver program. We also support increased access to a variety of mental health care treatments that meet the needs of veterans, whether provided by VA or through community-based services near their homes.

Rights of Veterans with Disabilities

Veterans living with disabilities must have the opportunity to travel, work, and live abroad. To foster these opportunities, we support U.S. ratification of the Disabilities Treaty. U.S. ratification will ensure that we are able to influence the development of access for Americans with disabilities across the world. Ratification of the Disabilities Treaty, which fully compliments American access laws for people with disabilities, would send an important message to the world community regarding inclusion of people with disabilities.