Marsha Blackburn: “I wanted to join with my colleagues this week to mark the implementation of an updated and streamlined healthcare system…”

“I wanted to join with my colleagues this week to mark the implementation of an updated and streamlined healthcare system that is specifically for our veterans. This is made possible by the VA MISSION Act. In Tennessee, we have such a large and vigorous and wonderful population of veterans. I will tell you, we are so grateful to them for their service, and we are so grateful they have chosen to make Tennessee their retirement home. One of our colleagues asked me one day about how patriotic Tennessee is. They had been there to visit. They saw flags out in so many places. They saw signs out that were ``thank you'' signs to our veterans. I told them that I felt like it was because we do have a strong military presence. Fort Campbell is primarily in Tennessee. We have Millington, the air naval station. We have Arnold. We have our National Guard, and a couple of our units have just finished a good deployment. We cherish these veterans, and they are such an integral part of our communities and our churches. We have worked diligently on this healthcare system for veterans to specifically meet their needs. That should be the mission of the VA. It is not to serve itself but to serve the veterans. Once this new structure that is put in place by the MISSION Act is fully implemented, members of the military community who have been, in my words, neglected for too long--their access to healthcare neglected--they are finally going to get the attention and the care they need.…”