Veterans
HONORING THOSE WHO HAVE SACRIFICED FOR US
“We are indebted to our nation's veterans for the tremendous sacrifices they made in times of need. That debt must be paid in full by ensuring adequate funding for veterans' health, education, and job-training programs.
As I travel around Wisconsin and meet with veterans, one of the things they tell me that they are frustrated with is the amount of time it takes for the Veterans Benefits Administration to process their claims. In some instances, veterans have had to wait well over a year for their claims to be processed. Telling the men and women who served our country that they just have to wait is wrong, unacceptable, and must be fixed.
It's time that we do right by our veterans and honor the commitment that we made to them when they signed up for duty. The freedom and prosperity of America in the 21st century is a result of their bravery and sacrifice.”
- Senator Russ Feingold
Supporting Wisconsin’s Veterans - Russ has strongly supported funding for increased access to VA facilities around Wisconsin. He successfully pushed the VA to establish new VA clinics in Hayward and Rice Lake. Now veterans in northeastern Wisconsin are able to receive health care services without having to travel hundreds of miles. He helped in the authorization of a new spinal cord unit for the Milwaukee VA Zablocki Medical Center and will continue to push for its construction. He also led the fight to preserve medical services at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital. Russ will continue to fight for Wisconsin veterans' fair share of benefits.
Giving Veterans Access and Information – Since coming to the Senate in 1993, Russ has worked to ensure that veterans get the benefits and treatment they have earned.
As part of those efforts, he is the author of the Veterans Advocacy Act. This legislation was introduced following conversations Russ had with Wisconsin veterans about long delays in processing of claims by the Veterans Benefits Administration. The Veterans Advocacy Act would give veterans independent advocates to help them cut through the red tape of the VA bureaucracy. The legislation would provide grants to veteran’s advocacy organizations that give free legal assistance to those who have served or are currently enlisted in the Armed Forces. Servicemembers shouldn’t have to wait or compromise on benefits that are rightfully theirs.
Russ is also the lead sponsor of the Veterans Outreach Improvement Act. This legislation, which was inspired by the overwhelming response to the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs' "I Owe You" program, would ensure that the VA is making every effort to inform veterans and their families about the benefits for which they may be eligible. Russ’s bill is supported by: the Disabled American Veterans, the Vietnam Veterans of America, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers, the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs, the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, the Wisconsin Association of County Veterans Service Officers, the Wisconsin Department of Disabled American Veterans, the Wisconsin Department of Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Wisconsin Paralyzed Veterans Association, the American Legion Department of Wisconsin, the American Legion Auxiliary Department of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin State Council, Vietnam Veterans of America, and the National Association for Black Veterans.
Supporting Our Troops Now and When They Return Home – Our brave men and women in uniform have sacrificed for our country and deserve to be taken care of while in theater. Russ voted for the 2006 defense authorization bill that increased pay for military personnel, expanded TRICARE health insurance for our National Guard and Reserve, and increased funding for force protection equipment. Over the years, Wisconsinites have contacted Russ about their deployed loved ones not having the equipment they needed while fighting in Iraq and he has repeatedly pressed the Pentagon to fix this problem. While this authorization bill went a long way toward helping to solve that problem, Russ has continued to push the Pentagon to address the lack of critical equipment - as well as the long term effects of deployment on our Armed Forces.
When a Wisconsinite posted video of the deplorable conditions his son was forced to live in at Fort Bragg when he returned home from Afghanistan, Russ immediately pressed the Department of Defense to investigate and improve the living conditions of all servicemembers at Fort Bragg and elsewhere. After fighting for our country half a world away, our brave men and women in uniform should not be forced to live in rooms with moldy walls, broken toilets, potential gas leaks, and bathrooms flooded with sewage.
Following the revelations of poor living conditions at Fort Bragg and Walter Reed Medical Center, Russ joined colleagues in the Senate in introducing the Dignity for Wounded Warriors Act. The bill improves the care for military personnel wounded in battle by guaranteeing good housing, strengthening care for military family members, simplifying paperwork, and providing for greater accountability for personnel charged with taking care of them. Forcing these heroic women and men to live in below subpar conditions is simply unacceptable.
Russ has also authored the Veterans Enhanced Services Transition (VETS) Act. His bill would strengthen and improve transition services for military personnel who are returning to civilian life. Our brave men and women in uniform have pledged to serve our country, and all of them deserve to have access to the best services available in return. Provisions in the VETS Act were enacted as part of the fiscal year 2006 National Defense Authorization Act, but more still needs to be done. Feingold’s legislation is supported by numerous Wisconsin and national veterans and military organizations, including the Wisconsin and National VFW, the Wisconsin and National American Legion, the Wisconsin and National Paralyzed Veterans of America, the Wisconsin DAV, the Wisconsin State Council, Vietnam Veterans of America, the Wisconsin National Guard, the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, the Enlisted Association of the National Guard, and the Reserve Officers Association.
Russ is also the author of the Veterans Suicide Study Act. His bill directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a study to determine the number of veterans who died by suicide since January 1, 1997. Currently the VA does not sufficiently track suicide trends among veterans and Russ’s legislation would force the accurate accounting of suicide deaths and attempts so that more can be done to give veterans the help they need before it is too late.
Russ was also successful in passing into law his legislation allowing servicemembers deployed overseas the ability to terminate cell phone contracts without paying a financial penalty. The Servicemembers’ Cellular Phone Contract Fairness Act was introduced by Russ after he heard from Wisconsin military personnel that they were forced to pay early termination fees, or pay for service they could not use, when they were deployed overseas. While we can never fully repay these brave men and women for their service and sacrifice, modest measures like this one can, at the very least, make their lives a little easier.
Russ has also authored two pieces of legislation that support military families. The Military Family Support Act authorizes federal employees who have loved ones either in theater or injured as a result of their military work to use the leave they have earned in a more flexible manner so that they can tend to the increased family obligations resulting from a loved one serving abroad.
His other piece of legislation – called the Military Families Leave Act – would allow eligible employees whose spouse, parents, sons or daughters who are called to active duty the ability to use their Family and Medical Leave Act benefits for issues relating to, or resulting from, that deployment. This legislation doesn’t expand FMLA, it just allows the use of FMLA for this purpose. Families of loved ones serving are under enormous stress themselves and should be given these benefits for the sacrifice they are also making in service to our country.
Recognition of Feingold’s Record – Russ has been recognized by the National Guard Association of the United States and presented with the Charles Dick Medal of Merit Award for his distinguished work in support of the National Guard. Senator Feingold has also received several awards for his work on veterans' issues, including Legislator of the Year from the Wisconsin State Council of Vietnam Veterans of America, Government Affairs Special Recognition Award from Vietnam Veterans of America, and the Coin for Excellence from the Adjutant General of the Wisconsin National Guard.
See Also: Fighting for Veterans
