Congresswoman Maxine Waters Introduces Legislation to Support Our Nation’s Veterans
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee, introduced two bills to support our nation’s veterans: the Protecting Benefits for Disabled Veterans Act (H.R.6362) and the Veterans Service Organization Modernization Act (H.R.6361).
“Our nation’s veterans have made tremendous sacrifices for our country, and it is my responsibility as a Member of Congress to not only honor them, but to ensure that they receive the benefits and services that they have been promised,” said Congresswoman Waters.
The Protecting Benefits for Disabled Veterans Act would codify and make permanent the Department of Veterans Affairs Individual Unemployability (IU) program, which compensates veterans who are unable to maintain gainful employment because of a service-connected disability. The bill is endorsed by the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and cosponsored by 18 Members of Congress, including Congressman Mark Takano (CA-39), Ranking Member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
“The IU program has been repeatedly threatened with budget cuts, and my bill would ensure that our nation’s disabled veterans can continue to have access to these essential benefits, thus protecting them from poverty and homelessness,” said Congresswoman Waters.
The Veterans Service Organization Modernization Act would provide competitive grants to veterans’ service organizations (VSOs) – such as Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Posts – for rehabilitation and modernization of their existing facilities, which provide a variety of services to veterans, their families, and their communities. The bill is cosponsored by 14 Members of Congress.
“Last year, I was proud to secure a $235,127 federal grant to allow the VFW Post 2075 in Hawthorne, California, to make necessary repairs, and I introduced this bill to allow other VSOs across the country to make similar investments for the benefit of the veterans they serve,” said Congresswoman Waters.
Congresswoman Waters has a long history of advocating for veterans. As the Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, she is working to provide quality housing for veterans, and in 1994, she spearheaded legislation to create the Center for Women Veterans within the Department of Veterans Affairs. Furthermore, as the Honorary Chairperson of the Host Committee for “The Wall That Heals,” she worked with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and local officials for nearly two years to bring the traveling replica of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, DC to the South Bay in Los Angeles County for the first time in its history. It was displayed in the City of Gardena, California, on Saturday, April 7, 2018.[1]
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