Bruce L. Braley

I find that myopic view of a well-documented rehabilitation resource incredible and I intend to speak with Chairwoman Buerkle about taking a look at VA's national recreational therapy program--or lack of a program.

An easy and immediate improvement to this partnership is to establish a way for soldiers that would benefit from our services to be informed prior to their separation from the military.

We know that one of the biggest drivers of health care costs in the country are chronic disease treatments and we know that we pay an enormous amount for chronic disease care that is directly related to obesity and all of its attended…

the great thing about this Paralympics program is that it allows individuals who have served their country with honor and distinction and who have suffered wounds that have changed their outlook on their own lives the opportunity to…

So when you provide a disabled person the opportunity to be physically active and involved and engaged and give them the resources to be active, we are saving ourselves millions and billions of dollars of future long-term health care costs.

We must continue to promote adaptive sports for our veterans to help them reintegrate into society.

I think it is important for us to think long term about the net impact on U.S. taxpayers by failing to make these important investments.

My dad landed on Hiroshima the same day that both flags were raised on Mount Suribachi.

The price of war is not paid by money alone; servicemember that are called upon to serve on behalf of our country pay the ultimate price.

Fortunately, this Congress stands united in support of our members of the Armed Forces and veterans who deserve the best resources we can muster to help them succeed in life after their military service.

Because one of the most challenging things any of us does is walk into the intensive care unit at a place like Walter Reed or Bethesda with a wounded warrior who has just returned without his arms, without his legs, and meet with them and…

Congress stands united in support of our members of the Armed Forces and veterans who deserve the best resources we can muster to help them succeed in life after they complete their military service.

The partnership between the U.S. Paralympics and the VA is an important and successful collaboration with great potential.

I grew up in a household with a blind father. While he was not a veteran, I saw firsthand how opportunities like the ones that we are providing can drastically change lives.

One of the things that we are all interested in is how we can use these programs to educate the broader public to the benefits that this investment of their hard earned tax dollars makes not just for our wounded warriors, but for our…

I fear we have gotten too big to punish.

It is an insult to the people who put their lives on the line every day that we allow this to continue while these institutions continue to profit.

The entire focus of every conversation we should be having about higher education is whether students are achieving progress toward a degree at a reasonable rate.

I look forward to today's discussion on how these bills will help veterans overcome some of the challenges they face and welcome any ideas on how to improve them.

Providing veterans the opportunity to succeed means that we must generate the programs or benefits that will allow them to establish small businesses, careers, or a home.

This is the least we can do for the brave men and women who serve this country.

Our veterans often return from combat only to face new challenges, whether it is an injury or financial crisis caused by long deployments and time off from their civilian jobs.

If there are better ways to serve veterans and make sure they are getting payment for educational benefits they are entitled to, I am willing to take that responsibility on.

This legislation would protect veterans from being foreclosed upon by banks and would give these soldiers time to get their finances in order after long deployments.

I think there has been a genuine committed effort to support these warriors, particularly these individuals who are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan.