Press Releases

Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.), Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, released the following statement in advance of the end of the 115th Congress:   
"As we conclude the 115^th Congress, I know that every committee member can go back to their district proud of what we achieved on behalf of our nation’s veterans. This Committee worked in a true bipartisan fashion and was blessed with committee members who are committed to veterans. In total, the House passed over 80 veterans bills, and President Trump signed over two dozen into law. I am honored and grateful to have had the privilege to serve as the Chairman of such a successful committee and on behalf of our nation’s veterans. 

"This Congress, we ensured accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by passing the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 into law last year and again when we held an oversight hearing on the first anniversary of its enactment this past July. This law protects whistleblowers and provides the secretary with the tools necessary to hold VA employees accountable.

"We also passed the VA MISSION Act, which improves the health care of our veterans. The legislation streamlines VA’s many community care programs into one cohesive program, removes arbitrary eligibility criteria that was developed under the Choice Program, funds the Choice Program for one year while Congress implements the new program created in this bill, expands VA’s Caregiver Program, includes provisions that strengthen VA’s internal capacity to provide timely and quality care, and creates a non-partisan process for reviewing VA’s assets to ensure veterans are receiving the care they need where they need it.

"Another critical focus of this Congress was the education of our student veterans. In August of 2017, the Forever GI Bill was signed into law. While we have faced some missteps with the implementation of this bill, it is still something to be proud of and will tremendously help our veterans once properly implemented. The bill does a number of things to ensure student veterans are able to take full advantage of their benefits in the way that best suits their needs. Most notably, the law removes the previous time restriction of 15 years after discharge so eligible veterans can carry their education benefits with them throughout their lives. Additionally, the law increases funding for Reservists and Guardsmen, dependents, surviving spouses and surviving dependents, and provides a 100 percent GI Bill eligibility to Post 9/11 Purple Heart recipients.

“Perhaps one of the most critical duties we have as members of congress is ensuring that our veterans receive the services and support they deserve. This Congress, we found that VA has an incredibly large backlog in reviewing disability claims that has caused inexcusable wait times for our veterans in receiving benefits they deserve. We took steps to improve the disability claim process through the passage and oversight of the implementation of the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017.

"Not only did we pass boatloads of legislation but we did great work performing our Constitutional duty of overseeing VA as it begun the implementation of the many major reforms that have been signed into law. One example of this, beyond simply holding oversight hearings, was the creation of the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization which is meant to oversee VA as it embarks on the biggest Electronic Health Record Modernization program in government. 

"Of course, none of this could have been achieved if it weren’t for a few crucial people. I want to thank Ranking Member Tim Walz (D-Minn.) for his efforts on behalf of veterans. I also want to extend my gratitude to Vice Chair Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.), Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), Subcommittee on Health Chairman Dr. Neal Dunn (R-Fla.), Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chairman General Jack Bergman (R-Mich.), and Subcommittee on Technology Modernization Chairman Jim Banks (R-Ind.), as well as all of the subcommittee ranking members. I am also extremely grateful for our counterparts in the Senate, specifically Chairman Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) and Ranking Member Jon Tester (R-Mont.). And last but not least, I want to thank Secretary Robert Wilkie and President Donald Trump who have remained steadfast supporters of veterans.

"I am confident that in the next Congress the Committee will continue to work in a bipartisan, bicameral way and in in conjunction with the Administration as we further advance legislation that ensures our veterans receive the benefits and support they deserve."