Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2288, the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017, a bill that addresses the Department of Veterans Affairs' broken appeals process. As of April 1, 2017, the number of pending appeals for disability compensation with the VA has reached 470,000. That is more than a 20 percent increase since fiscal year 2015. At current funding levels and using its current operational structure, the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that it will take at least 5 years to address the backlog of appeals claims. That is unsatisfactory. We can do better. We must do better. Our veterans deserve better. They have risked their lives to protect the freedoms we hold so dear, and it is up to us to make sure they receive the benefits they have earned and deserve. H.R. 2288 modernizes the appeals process to efficiently and effectively resolve backlogged claims and prevent this kind of backlog from happening in the future. This bipartisan piece of legislation takes a giant leap toward a more efficient Department of Veterans Affairs, and I strongly urge my colleagues to support it. ____________________”