Veterans
Supporting Those Who Have Served

I, like so many of my fellow Alaskans, realize the responsibility that our Nation has to ensure the care of our brave soldiers. As a veteran myself, having served in the U.S. Army 41st Tank Battalion, I have made the support of our Nation's veterans one of my top priorities. Alaska is blessed with brave and intelligent soldiers who have volunteered to protect us and keep us safe. In honor of these brave men and women, I have been able to cosponsor the better part of a dozen different bills and support multiple others just in the first session of the 110th Congress alone. Each was specifically drafted to assist our veterans and to provide them with the care and benefits which they have earned through their sacrifices to our Nation. This is not just political rhetoric, this is a fact, and it is a debt which we owe them. It has been my honor to work in support of Alaska's Veterans and those of our Nation as a whole, and I look forward to continuing that support into the next session and into the future.

I believe in producing results instead of promises. Here are just a few of the things which I have been working on as your Representative in Congress.

Bills Passed by the House and Voted For

H.R. 327 - Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act
This bill directed the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop and enact a program to help reduce suicides among veterans.

H.R. 2199 - Traumatic Brain Injury Health Enhancement and Long-Term Support Act
This bill authorized additional funding and established a program for screening, education, and care for those who may be suffering from a Traumatic Brain Injury. It will also increase the effectiveness of these services in rural areas like back home.

H.R. 2642 - Military Construction and Veteran's Affairs Appropriations
This bill provides an additional $6.7 billion dollars in appropriations from 2007 for the Dept. of Veteran's Affairs. This will provide over 1,000 additional claims officers and provide additional funding for the maintenance and construction of VA facilities. This bill addresses many of the chronic problems experienced within the VA and it will significantly increase the quality of service which we are able to provide for our veterans.

Bills Cosponsored

H.R. 89 - The Combat Related Special Compensation Act
This bill provides monthly combat-related special compensation for veterans who are entitled to retirement pay and who have a combat-related disability. This benefit is also known as concurrent receipt. I strongly supported this bill because I don't think there is enough we can do to honor those who have been injured in the service of our country.

H.R. 315 - Help Establish Access to Local Timely Healthcare for Your Vets (HEALTHY Vets) Act
This breakthrough legislation would allow veterans to receive care in health centers closer to their home and still be covered by the VA as long as there is not a VA health center within 75 miles of the individual.

H.R. 1222 - The Keep Our Promises to America's Military Retirees Act
This bill provides Federal Employees Health Benefits to members or former members of our Nation's armed forces who are entitled to retirement or retainer pay through the military. Providing our Nation's soldiers with proper health benefits is not only their right, but it's our responsibility.

H.R. 2005 - Rural Veterans Health Care Improvement Act
This bill authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase the levels of reimbursement allowed for travel expenses to and from VA facilities. It also directs the Secretary to create five centers dedicated to improving the care and access for veterans who are living or receiving service in rural areas, areas like Alaska.

H.R. 2874 - Veterans' Health Care Improvement Act
This bill provides four years of grant money for state VA offices, veterans' services organizations, non profits, as well as an additional $25 million in funding for the homeless. It also provides funds for therapy and transportation assistance for our veterans who are in need of care. We were able to get this bill passed out of the House by a voice vote.

H.R. 3026 - Military Spouses Memorial Act
This bill authorizes the Military Spouse Legacy Association to establish a commemorative work on federal land in the District of Columbia and its environs to honor all those who have put their country first as military spouses throughout our Nation's history.

H.R. 3502 - Wounded Warriors Commission Implementation Act
This is a very comprehensive bill which implements all of the actions recommended by the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors which, among other things, enables all Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom vets to receive PTSD care from the VA. It also restructures the VA's disability payment system, provides lifetime TRICARE benefits for combat-injured soldiers and their families and clarifies objectives for certain military disability programs.