Press Releases
Wenstrup Bills on Veterans’ Care, Education Reported out of House Veterans’ Affairs Committee
Washington,
July 19, 2017
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Hailey Sadler
(202-225-3164)
Tags:
Veterans
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Wenstrup (OH-02), Chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health, released the following statement after the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee reported 11 bills out of committee, including the VA Provider Equity Act (H.R. 1058), which Dr. Wenstrup introduced. The Committee also passed the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 (H.R. 3218), which includes Wenstrup’s legislation to increase access to GI Bill benefits for Reservists and Guardsmen: “The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee is continuing to take bipartisan action to address issues that our veterans face across the board – including more timely medical care, reliable childcare, and increased education and job opportunities. Our men and women in uniform dedicate their entire lives to the protection of others, and these 11 bills make real progress towards ensuring that when they return home, our veterans receive the treatment they have earned and deserve. I applaud the committee’s bipartisan passage of my bill, the VA Provider Equity Act, to improve veterans’ access to podiatric care. This action is critical, as our warfighters continue to face increased lower extremity injuries from IEDs over the past decade of combat – and often lack of providers. I am also pleased that the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act includes reforms I drafted to ensure our Reservists and Guardsmen have access to the educational opportunities they need in order to be successful. I encourage the full House of Representatives to act swiftly to pass these bills, so these reforms can reach our veterans, and their families, as soon as possible.” Background on The VA Provider Equity Act: This legislation aims to improve access to care for millions of veterans by retaining much-needed caregivers at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). It would fix long-standing disparities between VA specialty care physicians – and help provide equity with the private sector -- enabling the VA to better recruit and retain experts in lower extremity conditions. Background on The Guard and Reservists Education Improvement Act: The bill, now included in the larger Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017, would provide greater accessibility to G.I. Bill educational benefits for servicemembers in the Guard and Reserve components of our Armed Forces.
The Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act includes numerous provisions, many coming out of collaboration with various Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs), to modernize and expand access to the GI Bill. Full list of bills passed out of committee:
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