Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H.R. 7335, the MST Claims Coordination Act, introduced by Chairwoman Luria. Information is power, but access to information is empowering. Given the traumatic nature of military sexual trauma, equipping veterans with information about the MST claims process may help to ease the apprehension that may be associated with pursuing MST claims. The outreach materials mandated by this legislation will provide MST survivors a variety of resources on how to pursue and file claims; identify mental health resources for treatment; and contact information for the Veterans Crisis Line, should the need arise. By improving the notification mechanisms between the Veterans Health Administration and the Veterans Benefit Administration, veteran survivors of MST will benefit from claims coordination between the administrations, which will hopefully lead to a more streamlined MST claims process and accelerated compensation decisions, and will avoid the complications that often lead to frustration among survivors. I thank Chair Luria for offering this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”