by Senator Daniel Akaka
Aloha! Today I was proud to join President Obama at the White House as he signed a bill I authored to help veterans and their families. Through this new law, the Department of Veterans Affairs will establish an unprecedented permanent program to support the caregivers of severely injured veterans. This means that family members who have taken care of their wounded loved one with little support from VA can now receive training, financial support, and other assistance. I believe that this will help our wounded warriors receive the best care without burdening VA facilities, and help ‘ohana across the nation stay strong together.
This new law also makes significant improvements in services for women veterans, homeless veterans, and veterans in rural areas. Of particular interest to Hawaii veterans of all wars, VA will now be able to reimburse those who require air travel to receive the care they need. For years I have heard from Neighbor Island veterans who pay out of their own pockets to travel to receive needed VA care. With this new law VA can help more of these veterans. For more on my bill, click here:
Rest assured that I will continue to do all that I can for the troops and veterans who have served our country honorably.
For the latest news from my office, please visit my website which is updated daily. And please know that I always appreciate hearing your concerns and comments regarding the issues that face our state and our nation. Please contact me by clicking here.
Aloha pumehana,
U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka
Tue September 07 2010