WASHINGTON – The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. thanks President Donald Trump for signing the VA MISSION Act.
The VFW was on hand as President Trump signed the VA MISSION Act of 2018 into law at the White House on June 6, 2018.The VA MISSION Act was the result of a bipartisan and bicameral effort led by Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Sen. Johnny Isakson, Ranking Member Sen. Jon Tester and House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Rep. Phil Roe. The legislation passed in the House on May 16 with a vote of 347-70. The Senate passed the bill on May 23 with a vote of 92-5.
“President Trump signaled his support for this bill early on in the process which shows that he puts veterans before politics,” said Keith Harman, national commander of the 1.7-million member VFW and its Auxiliary. “This historic legislation will help our veterans get the care they earned when they joined the military.”
“The VFW and other veteran service organizations worked closely with Congress and the White House to help create a carefully negotiated bipartisan deal with the fingerprints of veterans who rely on the VA all over it,” he said.
The VA MISSION Act will improve the Department of Veterans Affairs’ ability to hire high-quality health care professionals, streamline VA community care programs, expand caregiver benefits to pre-9/11 veterans and create a process to examine VA’s capital infrastructure to better serve veterans.
“The VA MISSION Act will help improve the care our veterans get at the VA while leveraging the capabilities of the private sector when needed. It will help recruit the best talent at the VA, which is what our veterans deserve, and it also extends caregiver benefits to every veteran who needs it,” Harman said.