NEW JERSEY — U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) Tuesday announced new federal legislation to ensure that our veterans receive the health care and other benefits, like disability assistance, caregiver support, and more, that they’ve earned and deserve.
In just two days, if Congress fails to act, millions of veterans — including thousands here in New Jersey — will lose access to the healthcare and benefits they earned protecting our freedoms.
Additionally, Gottheimer highlighted the disastrous effects a looming government shutdown would have for our veterans and nation. A government shutdown freezes funding for security operations to stop terrorists, endangers 42 million Americans’ SNAP benefits, and costs agencies like the VA millions.
The 2013 shutdown, that spanned just 17 days, is estimated to have cost taxpayers and the VA $25 million dollars and 416 years of lost productivity from the more than 10,000 employees that were furloughed.
Gottheimer’s new action to protect veterans includes:
- New legislation that will honor our promise to veterans by closing the $12 billion funding shortfall and ensure our veterans have access to the quality health care and benefits they’ve earned.
- A call to immediately bring the proposed bill to close the VA’s $3 billion shortfall — which would endanger Veterans access to disability assistance and caregiver support — to a vote.
- New legislation that will commission three reports from the VA to ensure veterans receive quality, timely service:
- A report on the VA Disability Rights Appeals process — which has a backlog of more than 246,000 claims — and why it takes so long to get an appeal decision.
- A study to understand ways to expand the Transition Assistance Program which helps our veterans prepare for life after their service. This builds on Gottheimer’s “Jobs Plan for American Veterans.”
- A requirement for the VA to investigate the persistent management problems impacting one-star healthcare systems after the New Jersey VA Healthcare System received a one-star rating earlier this year.
“It is imperative that we fix this budget shortfall, and it is equally imperative that we get to the bottom of some of the issues impacting the greatest among us, our veterans. I’m a problem solver, through and through, and this bill will go a long way to solving the problems inherent to the VA system,” Gottheimer said. “When our veterans return home, they should never have to worry about if they can get the assistance they’ve nee. But right now, that’s exactly what’s happening.”
Gottheimer was joined by New Jersey Assemblywomen Lisa Swain (LD-38), Bergen County Veterans Services Director Shaun Hutchinson, New Bridge President Deborah Visconi, Catholic Charities David Pearson.
