Delivering For You

Supporting veterans involves more than just words of appreciation for their ultimate sacrifice; it requires concrete actions, including securing adequate funding for programs and services tailored to their needs. By allocating sufficient resources to healthcare, mental health services, job training, and other essential programs, we can ensure veterans receive the support they need to transition successfully into civilian life.  

With over 50,000 veterans living in our community, I make it a priority to ensure that our veterans are taken care of. Securing funding for veterans demonstrates a commitment to honoring their service and upholding the promises made to those who have sacrificed so much for our country.  

That’s why I have proudly voted for legislation like the PACT Act that grants veterans who were exposed to burn pits and harmful chemicals during their service the healthcare they need and deserve. I also voted for the Veterans Census-Enabled National Treatment Equitable Resource Supplement for Mental Health Act (Vet CENTERS for Mental Health Act) to provide resources to veterans that face unique mental health challenges when reacclimating to civilian life. Making veterans’ lives easier involves implementing comprehensive support systems tailored to their unique needs, ensuring they can navigate post-service challenges with dignity and ease. 

Co-Sponsored Legislation

• Veterans Foreign Medical Coverage Equality and Modernization Act: Modernizes and equalizes medical coverage for veterans receiving care abroad, ensuring they have access to necessary medical services regardless of location.
• Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act: Provides veterans with equal access to contraceptive services without copayments, aligning healthcare benefits with active-duty service members.
• Honoring Our PACT Act: Expanded health care and benefits to veterans exposed to burn pits and toxic exposures, and since it was signed into law on August 10, 2022, almost 13,000 claims have been submitted by El Paso veterans.
• Ensuring Veterans’ Smooth Transition (EVEST) Act: simplifies the transition process by automatically enrolling eligible veterans in VA healthcare.

Funding for Veterans

During the Biden Administration:

• $700 million for the construction of a brand-new VA healthcare center. The facility will be built on 36 acres on the campus of the William Beaumont Army Medical Center complex on Fort Bliss land in East El Paso.
• The PACT Act extends eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare services for veterans with toxic exposures from the Vietnam War, Gulf War, and post-9/11 eras, requires the VA to provide a toxic exposure screening to every veteran enrolled in VA healthcare, and has added more than 20 new presumptive conditions for burn pits and toxic exposures.
  
  There’s no deadline to apply for PACT Act benefits.