Political Quotes

“I am once again delighted to join my colleague, Senator Patty Murray, to introduce the Military and Veteran Caregiver Services Improvement Act of 2017. Our bill would greatly expand eligibility for VA caregiver support services by including veterans from all eras, allow veterans to transfer their post 9/11 GI bill benefits to their dependents, expand eligibility for the VA caregivers program to include a wider range of injuries that may have previously gone unrecognized, and provide crucial support for our Nation's caregivers themselves. In 2014, my former colleague and friend, Senator Elizabeth Dole, commissioned a study by the RAND Corporation to learn more about the military caregiver population and explore common issues experienced by America's caregivers. The experts at RAND found that those caring for our servicemembers and veterans provide nearly $14 billion worth of unpaid services every year--an incredible cost that would otherwise be passed on to the Nation. There are more than 5.5 million military caregivers in the United States, and of those, 1.1 million are caring for post-9/11 veterans. These are spouses, parents, children, and other loved ones who have voluntarily put their lives on hold to provide our returning servicemembers with a trusted continuum of care that could not be replicated without them. Many of them will provide this care for years, if not decades, to come.…”