03.21.24 •
Press Release
Washington,
DC
-
House
Veterans’
Affairs
Committee
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
delivered
the
following
opening
remarks,
as
prepared,
at
the
beginning
of
today’s
Full
Committee’s
legislative
hearing
on
the
Toxic
Exposure
Act
of
2024
that
will
undermine
the
Ranking
Member’s
landmark
Honoring
our
PACT
Act:
“Thank
you
for
yielding,
Mr.
Chairman.
The
Cost
of
War
Toxic
Exposure
Fund,
created
by
my
Honoring
Our
PACT
Act,
is
a
vital
component
of
the
law
and
represents
our
promise
to
… Read More
03.13.24 •
Press Release
Washington
-
Today,
House
Veterans’
Affairs
Committee
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
and
Gun
Violence
Prevention
Task
Force
Chair
Rep.
Mike
Thompson
(CA-04),
who
is
also
a
veteran,
led
over
135 members
of
Congress
calling
on
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA)
Secretary
Denis
McDonough
to
protect
veterans
and
address
some
of
the
problems
caused
by
the
Kennedy
Amendment.
The
Kennedy
Amendment
rolls
back
30
years
of
precedent
and
makes
it
easier
for
veterans
who
are
mentally
incompetent
to
… Read More
03.13.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
--
Today,
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
and
Committee
members
concluded
the
2024
veterans
service
organization
(VSO)
hearings.
These
yearly
hearings
are
bipartisan
and
bicameral,
to
allow
all
Committee
members
to
hear
directly
from
veterans
and
VSOs
about
their
priorities
in
the
next
year.
The
first
panel
featured
witnesses
from
the
American
Legion,
including
National
Commander
Daniel
Seehafer.
Ranking
Member
Takano
highlighted
the
… Read More
03.12.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
Today
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
released
the
following
statement
after
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA)
unveiled
its
Fiscal
Year
2025
budget,
which
includes
increased
funding
for
the
Toxic
Exposure
Fund
(TEF)
created
specifically
to
help
toxic-exposed
veterans
in
the
Honoring
our
PACT
Act,
invests
more
in
services
and
tools
specific
to
women
veterans,
and
ensures
VA
facilities
are
being
upgraded
to
provide
world-class
… Read More
03.11.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
Today,
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
and
Subcommittee
on
Health
Ranking
Member
Julia
Brownley
(CA-26)
released
the
following
statement
after
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA)
announced
it
will
soon
expand
eligibility
for
in
vitro
fertilization
(IVF)
services:
“This
is
a
step
in
the
right
direction
to
allow
eligible
unmarried
veterans
and
veterans
in
same-sex
marriages
to
receive
IVF,
but
we
think
current
law
is
still
too
… Read More
03.11.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Economic
Opportunity
Subcommittee
Ranking
Member
Mike
Levin
(CA-49)
has
reintroduced
the
Guard
and
Reserve
GI
Bill
Parity
Act
of
2024
(HR
7543)
to
ensure
National
Guard
and
Reservist
servicemembers
receive
Post-9/11
GI
Bill
eligibility
for
every
day
they
spend
in
uniform.
The
Guard
and
Reserve
GI
Bill
Parity
Act
was
also
introduced
in
the
116th
and
117th
Congresses
and
passed
the
House
in
2022
with
bipartisan
support.
It
ensures
that
Guard
… Read More
03.07.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
released
the
following
statement
after
President
Joe
Biden
gave
his
annual
State
of
the
Union
Address,
where
he
talked
about
the
ongoing
success
of
the
Ranking
Member’s
Honoring
our
PACT
Act,
that
treats
toxic
exposure
as
a
cost
of
war
by
addressing
the
full
range
of
issues
impacting
toxic-exposed
veterans
including
access
to
earned
benefits
and
healthcare:
“I
was
very
glad
but
not
surprised
to
hear
… Read More
03.06.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
Today,
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
and
Committee
members
began
the
2024
Veterans
Service
Organization
(VSO)
hearings.
These
yearly
hearings
are
bipartisan
and
bicameral,
to
allow
all
Committee
members
to
hear
directly
from
veterans
and
VSOs
about
their
priorities
in
the
next
year.
The
first
panel
featured
witnesses
from
the
Veterans
of
Foreign
Wars
(VFW),
including
VFW
Commander-in-Chief
Duane
Sarmiento.
Ranking
Member
Takano
… Read More
03.04.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
--
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
and
Subcommittee
on
Health
Ranking
Member
Julia
Brownley
(CA-26)
released
the
following
statement
after
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA)
published
its
final
rule
on
reproductive
healthcare
for
veterans
and
beneficiaries
of
the
Civilian
Health
and
Medical
Program
of
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(CHAMPVA)
today:
“We
applaud
VA
for
finalizing
this
important
rule,
which
was
a
long
overdue
step
… Read More
02.26.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC—
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
released
the
following
statement
after
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA)
declined
to
change
its
policy
on
gender-affirming
surgery
for
veterans:
“I
think
I
echo
many
in
the
veterans
and
LGBTQ+
communities
that
I
am
extremely
disappointed
in
VA
for
taking
so
long
and
then
refusing
to
change
its
policy
for
trans
veterans.
VA’s
mission
is
to
provide
comprehensive
and
high-quality
healthcare
that
… Read More
02.26.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
released
the
following
statement
after
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA)
detailed
its
plans
to
accelerate
healthcare
enrollment
for
veterans
made
eligible
by
the
PACT
Act,
as
announced
by
President
Joe
Biden
on
Veterans
Day
last
year.
An
initial
open
enrollment
period
created
by
Ranking
Member
Takano’s
Honoring
our
PACT
Act
saw
almost
26,000
new
veterans
enrolled
in
VA’s
healthcare
system.
Now
over
… Read More
02.15.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
Today
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
released
the
following
statement
after
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA)
announced
their
new
proposed
rule
to
expand
the
years
and
locations
veterans
will
be
covered
for
Agent
Orange
and
other
toxic
herbicide
exposures:
Ranking
Member
Takano
said,
“I
applaud
VA’s
new
proposed
rule
that
expands
the
reach
of
my
bill,
the
Honoring
Our
Pact
Act,
and
builds
upon
VA’s
work
addressing
Vietnam-era
… Read More
02.14.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
delivered
the
following
opening
remarks
during
the
Full
Committee’s
hearing
on
sexual
harassment
allegations
in
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
Office
of
Resolution
Management,
Diversity
and
Inclusion
(ORMDI):
“Welcome,
Mr.
Secretary.
I
am
pleased
that
you
joined
us
today
to
offer
insight
into
how
this
investigation
was
handled
at
the
highest
level
of
VA
and
where
VA
will
go
from
here
under
your
… Read More
02.13.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
Today
a
spokesperson
for
the
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Democrats
released
the
following
statement
in
advance
of
Wednesday’s
Full
Committee
Hearing
on
the
investigation
into
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA)’s
Office
of
Resolution
Management,
Diversity
and
Inclusion
(ORMDI):
“We
agree
that
allegations
of
sexual
harassment
or
any
misconduct
must
be
taken
extremely
seriously.
But
the
Republican’s
release
from
February
5th
on
the
Office
of
Accountability
and
… Read More
01.31.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON-
House
Committee
of
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
released
the
following
statement
in
response
to
the
Agency
for
Toxic
Substances
and
Disease
Registry
(ATSDR)
releasing
its
Evaluation
of
Cancer
Incidence
Among
Marines
and
Navy
Personnel
and
Civilian
Workers
Exposed
to
Contaminated
Drinking
Water
at
USMC
Base
Camp
Lejeune:
A
Cohort
Study.
The
findings
of
this
study
showed
that
civilian
workers,
Marine/Navy
Personnel,
and
their
families
have
experienced
… Read More
01.30.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
Today,
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
introduced
the
Survivor
Benefits
Delivery
Improvement
Act
to
make
sure
that
survivors
receive
the
benefits
they
are
entitled
to.
The
full
Committee
held
a
hearing
this
morning
on
survivor
benefits
and
how
they
are
administered.
“It
was
clear
in
our
hearing
today
and
from
talking
to
survivors
around
the
country
that
there
is
a
large
deficit
in
how
much
they
know
about
the
benefits
that
are
… Read More
01.30.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
Today
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
delivered
the
following
opening
remarks
during
the
Full
Committee’s
hearing
on
the
delivery
of
survivor
benefits
at
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA):
“Good
morning
and
thank
you,
Chairman
Bost.
Two
years
ago,
when
the
Disability
Assistance
and
Memorial
Affairs
Subcommittee
held
a
hearing
on
the
topic
of
survivor
benefits,
it
was
the
first
time
it
had
been
discussed
in
a
decade.
So,
I
… Read More
01.25.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
Today
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
released
the
following
statement
in
response
to
the
news
that
the
backlog
of
requests
for
military
service
records
at
the
National
Archives’
National
Personnel
Records
Center
(NPRC)
has
been
eliminated:
“This
is
tremendous
news!
Today’s
announcement
is
a
testament
to
the
meaningful
work
done
by
a
Democratic-controlled
Congress
and
the
Biden
Administration
on
behalf
of
our
nations’
veterans
and
… Read More
01.17.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
Today,
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
honored
the
one-year
anniversary
of
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA)’s
implementation
of
the
suicide
prevention
emergency
care
created
through
the
Veterans
COMPACT
Act
of
2020
(P.L.
116-214),
which
he
authored.
Under
Section
201
of
the
law,
any
veteran
experiencing
an
acute
suicidal
crisis
can
seek
emergency
treatment
from
any
VA
or
non-VA
facility
at
no
cost
to
them.
Veterans
are
eligible
… Read More
01.11.24 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
—
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39),
delivered
the
following
remarks
during
the
Committee’s
Oversight
Hearing
on
rural
veterans
and
their
access
to
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA)
healthcare
and
benefits:
“Thank
you,
Chairman
Bost.
Rural
veterans
and
their
families
have
long
had
to
navigate
an
altogether
different
healthcare
experience
than
their
suburban
and
urban
counterparts.
From
hours-long
drives
to
appointments,
to
housing
… Read More
