Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring awareness to the difficulty for many to obtain a critical document for our veterans: That is their form DD-214. You can't do anything as a veteran without a copy of your DD-214. This paperwork is required to verify for our servicemembers their benefits, how to obtain a disability claim, funeral service, research about lost medals. We need a copy of your DD-214. Well, the pandemic has not been good for this need for the millions of veterans in our country. The National Personnel Records Center shut down, and as we come out of the pandemic when our veterans need these resources, they are still terribly behind, despite Congress appropriating more money. It is critical that the National Personnel Records Center go digital so that we can properly verify these servicemembers and give better service for those who have served their country in such a valuable way. It should not be difficult for our veterans to get their DD-214 to pursue their benefits or claim healthcare at our Veterans Administration. It shouldn't be a burden to a spouse, to a family of a fallen veteran to have the proper paperwork to have a proper funeral. So I urge my colleagues to join me and continue to press the National Archives to improve their service for the bravest men and women and their families. Recognizing Steve Wells”