Veterans
Concurrent Receipt:
I'm proud to announce that I have signed on to support the Retired Pay Restoration Act that addresses Concurrent Receipt (H.R. 303). It is important that retirees and veterans' needs are met after serving our great nation. For over a century, hundreds of thousands of brave veterans have been burdened by regulations that prohibit them from receiving fair compensation for their service to our great nation. I believe that we need to fix the unfair practice of forcing disabled veterans to choose between retirement pay and disability compensation. The Retired Pay Restoration Act will, among other things, provide for the concurrent receipt of retirement pay and disability compensation for disabled veterans that have 20 or more years of service to this country.
The men and women who dedicate their lives to protecting our liberty and freedom deserve nothing but our very best. All Americans should recognize their sacrifice and lawmakers must work to ensure that their needs are met once they return from serving our great nation.
More than 1.8 million veterans reside in Florida. That is the second highest total in America, only behind California. Central Florida is increasingly the nation's number one destination for combat veterans and veterans 65 years or older. Yet, Central Florida is the largest metropolitan area in the nation without a VA medical complex.
I have made it a priority to bring the resources needed to service this ever growing population to Central Florida. Currently, veterans residing in Central Florida are forced an average two-hour drive to obtain care at a VA hospital in either Tampa, Gainesville, or Jacksonville. A closer facility would provide veterans with a better quality of life and cut down on the cost to service organizations
One of my most proud accomplishments was when it was finally announced that a new VA hospital would be built alongside UCF Medical School and the Burnham Institute to create a state of the art medical city. This stunning trifecta will be valuable to both local veterans and the VA, and the medical school and research environment will provide insight into innovative and cutting edge technologies which could serve as a vehicle for sharing expensive medical equipment.
I am thrilled that a VA hospital has finally been authorized for Central Florida. The Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006 authorizes $377 million for construction of a VA hospital in Orlando. I appreciate the hard work of my colleagues in Congress to reach a compromise on this critical legislation that provides Central Florida veterans with a desperately needed VA hospital. This hospital will increase the quality of life for veterans and will decrease the mounting costs on service organizations. Our growing veterans' population will finally have appropriate access to vital health care services.
Veterans face many hardships when returning from battle. Homelessness is an all too common occurrence in the U.S. and it is even more unsettling to see the numbers of homeless veterans. I believe that Congress should take responsibility for our nation's servicemen and women. They are true American heroes who have risked their lives defending our great country. These men and women should never be without a roof over their heads. I have worked to help get disabled homeless veterans off the streets and into rental housing through an amendment to the Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2007. The amendment would give the monies in the Affordable Housing Fund to HUD to use for disabled homeless veterans housing.
Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Barney Frank (D-MA), has agreed to work with us as the bill moves forward. This would help right a terrible wrong. These veterans, these men and women who fought for our freedom, should never be ignored or forgotten. I recognize their achievements and sacrifices and will vigilantly work on initiatives that address their needs.
Feeney Offers Amendment to Provide Housing for Disabled Veterans
Feeney Testifies Before Congress on the Need for a VA Hospital
