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Helping Veterans Transition from Service to Civilian Life (Rep. John Boozman)

by Ark. GOP Rep. John Boozman - 02/27/09 8:51 AM ET

I am always looking for ways to better serve our veterans. There are always improvements we can make to our policies to give our veterans a better life. The legislation introduced this week represents our willingness to assist our veterans through employment and education opportunities as well as accommodating the lives of our injured veterans.

We coordinated with the Pat Tillman Foundation to identify areas of improvement for veterans’ education opportunities. As you may remember Pat Tillman, a U.S. Army Ranger and former Arizona Cardinal was killed in the line of duty while serving in Afghanistan. Since then his family and friends have aggressively led efforts to make this world a better place. The “Pat Tillman Veterans’ Scholarship Initiative” directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to include a list of organizations, like the Pat Tillman Foundation, that provide scholarships to veterans and their survivors on the VA website. I am honored to help carry on the legacy of this great American hero.

We need to empower our service members with the tools they need to succeed in civilian life and the “Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program” (HVRP) will help accomplish that. This is a valuable program that offers grants to homeless veteran providers for job skill training and employment services and I’m hopeful it will be extended until 2014. Additionally, the “Veterans Retraining Act of 2009” targets job training for veterans and a housing stipend for veterans who are participating in re-training programs.

Providing funding and grants for research to better accommodate our veterans’ changing needs is responsible action that we must take to fulfill our commitment to caring for injured service member in return for the sacrifices they and their families have made. This legislation will be a victory for all Americans, and I am willing to take the necessary actions and work towards passage of this legislation to make sure our service member get the recognition, attention, and high
quality care they deserve.