Tillis' Bipartisan Legislation Focus Of Veterans' Affairs Hearing | Eastern North Carolina Now

 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs held a hearing to discuss legislation focused on health care and benefits for our nation's veterans. The committee looked at five bills, three of which Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) originally co-sponsored:

• S.2106 — Wounded Warrior Employment Improvement Act of 2015;
• S.2170 — Veterans E-Health & Telemedicine Support (VETS) Act of 2015; and
• S.2253 — Department of Veteran Affairs Veterans Education Relief and Restoration Act of 2015

 "Taking care of our veterans and ensuring they're receiving the benefits they've earned is not and will never be a partisan effort," said Senator Tillis. "During my first year as a Senator, I have prioritized helping veterans and will continue to work diligently to fix the issues plaguing the VA. Today's hearing is proof that the Senate is committed to working together on a bipartisan basis to remove the bureaucratic barriers in the VA, and we will continue on this path toward delivering the high quality care and assistance our veterans deserve."

 Panelists at the hearing included representatives from five different Veterans Service Organizations who overwhelmingly supported the three bipartisan bills introduced by Senator Tillis.


 S.2016 — The Wounded Warrior Employment Improvement Act of 2015, sponsored by Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), would require the secretary of the VA to develop and publish an action plan for improving the training and rehabilitation provided by the VA for veterans with service-connected disabilities. S.2106 was included in the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill, which passed the Senate 93-0 last week.

 S.2170 — The Veterans E-Health & Telemedicine Support (VETS) Act of 2015, sponsored by Senators Thom Tillis, (R-NC), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Mazi Hirono (D-HI), John Boozman (R-AR), and Mike Rounds (R-SD), would allow qualified VA health care professionals to provide telemedicine to veterans in their homes across state lines.

 S.2253 — The Department of Veteran Affairs Veterans Education Relief and Restoration Act of 2015, sponsored by Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), would provide veterans impacted by closures of education institutions certain relief and restoration of education benefits. Restores entitlement for individuals who pursued a program of education with VA educational assistance and failed to receive credit as a result of the closure of their educational institution. Last week, President Obama endorsed S.2253 and urged Congress to pass it as soon as possible.

• Contact:
•  Daniel Keylin/Meghan Burris (Tillis)
•  (202) 224-6342