Political Quotes

“today, as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I introduce the Women Veterans and Other Health Care Improvement Act of 2012. I am incredibly proud of the women and men who have served or are serving our nation in uniform, and I strongly believe we must do all that we can to honor them. That is why I introduced legislation, which was signed into law as part of the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010, which helped to transform the way that the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA, addresses the needs of women veterans. Among other things, this law required the VA to provide neonatal care, train mental health professionals to provide mental health services for sexual trauma, and develop a child care pilot program. VA has an obligation to provide veterans with quality care and we have an obligation to make sure that VA does so. The legislation I am introducing today builds upon that effort to make additional improvements to VA's services for women veterans and veterans with families. The nature of the current conflict and increasing use of improvised explosive devices leaves servicemembers, both male and female, at increased risk for blast injuries including spinal cord injury and trauma to the reproductive and urinary tracts. Army data shows that between 2003 and 2011 more than 600 women and men experienced these life-changing battle injuries while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.…”