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U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown
Veterans Day
As we take time this week to pay tribute to the millions of heroes who
have put their lives on the line for our country, we must remember that
we owe our veterans more than our gratitude. We must work to ensure
that they receive the benefits they deserve.
Too many veterans face challenges related to healthcare, housing, and
employment. Veterans transitioning from time in service to civilian
life face barriers that can result in unemployment, in inadequate
healthcare, and, tragically, in homelessness.
When servicemembers return home, they must have the educational and the
employment opportunities they need not only to survive, but to thrive.
That is why Congress must continue to work in a bipartisan manner to
ensure that veterans, servicemembers, and their qualifying dependents
have every opportunity to take advantage of the educational benefits
they have earned.
Unfortunately, too many veterans also have trouble gaining access to
healthcare and securing a safe, stable place to live.
Hundreds of thousands of veterans struggle with so-called “invisible
injuries” — nearly 300,000 have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic
Stress (PTS), and 300,000 have faced Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI).
Earlier this year we passed the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for
American Veterans Act, which is an important first step to helping
these veterans. It is our duty to increase veterans’ access to quality
mental health care. Clay Hunt will help ensure that those who put their
lives on the line for us have a lifeline of their own when they return
home.
And it is our duty to ensure that veterans have safe homes to call
their own. However, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD), nearly 50,000 veterans were homeless during a
survey conducted on a single night in January 2014. That is 50,000 too
many.
Fortunately, increased federal investments and improved services have
made progress toward ending the serious problem of veterans’
homelessness. Since 2010, homelessness among veterans has declined 33
percent.
In a nation blessed with abundant resources and economic strength, no
one who has already sacrificed so much for our country should lack
access to affordable housing. Veterans Service Organizations and
non-profit groups across Ohio are stepping up to address this
injustice, but more needs to be done. That’s why I joined my colleagues
in introducing the Veteran Housing Stability Act of 2015, which would
make meaningful improvements to services for homeless veterans, and
give more veterans access to permanent housing opportunities
I am proud to work to ensure that Ohio remains a leader in serving
those who served us. Supporting veterans and their families is a top
priority for my office.
My staff and I remain ready to assist veterans, their families, and
their survivors access health care and disability benefits as well as
education and employment benefits support. We can also assist with
other actions, such as discharge reviews and awards replacement. If you
or someone you know needs any assistance, please contact my office
toll-free at 1-888-896-OHIO (6446).
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