12.21.23 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON
DC-
This
year,
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
continued
his
efforts
to
pass
legislation
that
supports
veterans
and
their
families.
Last
Congress,
when
Ranking
Member
Takano
was
Chairman
of
the
Committee,
the
Committee
passed
his
bill,
the
Honoring
our
PACT
Act
(P.L.
117-168),
which
was
the
largest
expansion
of
veterans
benefits
in
30
years.
“Working
with
the
Republican
Majority
this
year
has
been
difficult,
from
their
lack
of
organization
to
their
… Read More
12.15.23 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
released
the
following
statement
after
the
Department
of
Housing
and
Urban
Development
(HUD)
announced
this
year’s
Point
in
Time
(PIT)
count
numbers
on
homelessness
in
the
United
States:
“Today’s
PIT
count
numbers
are
deeply
concerning,
especially
as
winter
has
arrived.
While
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA)
is
making
tremendous
strides
in
utilizing
Housing
First
principles
and
quickly
moving
… Read More
12.06.23 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
Today,
House
Committee
on
Veterans'
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(D-CA)
and
Chairman
Mike
Bost
(R-IL)
introduced
the
VA
Correct
Compensation
Act
(HR
6538),
which
amends
existing
law
to
allow
for
certain
healthcare
providers
at
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA)
to
grieve
errors
in
their
compensation.
Ranking
Member
Takano
said,
“Passing
the
VA
Correct
Compensation
Act
would
be
an
important
step
towards
ensuring
that
those
who
serve
veterans
received
the
correct
… Read More
12.05.23 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,DC
-
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
released
the
following
statement
after
the
House
passed
the
Elizabeth
Dole
Home
Care
Act
and
Housing
our
Military
Effectively
(HOME)
Act
with
strong
bipartisan
support:
“While
I
fully
support
the
goals
of
both
of
these
bills,
this
is
a
hollow
victory,
because
we
already
know
further
House
action
will
be
needed.
Last
week,
my
staff
alerted
the
Majority’s
staff
that
the
language
of
the
bills
passed
today
was
… Read More
11.16.23 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
--
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
released
the
following
statement
after
the
release
of
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs’
(VA)
2023
National
Veteran
Suicide
Prevention
Annual
Report,
which
showed
a
slight
increase
from
2020
to
2021
in
veteran
suicide
deaths:
“A
life
lost
to
suicide
is
a
tragedy,
and
sadly
we
saw
an
increase
in
both
civilian
and
veteran
suicide
deaths
in
calendar
year
2021
-
the
time
period
covered
by
this
report.
… Read More
11.07.23 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
D.C.
—
Today,
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
delivered
the
following
remarks,
as
prepared,
at
the
beginning
of
the
Full
Committee’s
hearing
on
veteran
employment
and
opportunity:
“Thank
you,
Chairman
Bost. And
thank
you
for
holding
this
hearing
on
The
Impact
of
America’s
Businesses
on
Veteran
Employment
and
Opportunity.
Before
we
begin,
it’s
impossible
to
discuss
employment
without
addressing
recent
news
in
the
automotive
industry.
I’d
… Read More
10.27.23 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
D.C.
—
Today,
Democrats
on
the
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs,
led
by
Vice
Ranking
Member
Chris
Deluzio
(PA-17),
sent
a
letter
to
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA)
Secretary
Denis
McDonough,
raising
concerns
about
the
dangerous
lack
of
oversight
of
the
opioid
prescribing
procedures
for
veterans
who
receive
their
healthcare
outside
VA.
The
Office
of
Inspector
General
(OIG)
issued
a
report
which
estimated
that
80%
of
non-VA
Community
Care
Network
(CCN)
providers
who
… Read More
10.26.23 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
Over
the
summer,
the
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
unanimously
passed
Congresswoman
Julia
Brownley
(CA-26)’s
Elizabeth
Dole
Home
Care
Act
(H.R.
542)
out
of
Committee.
It
is
currently
awaiting
a
vote
on
the
House
floor.
The
Elizabeth
Dole
Home
Care
Act
would
expand
VA’s
Home
and
Community
Based
Services
(HCBS)
to
all
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA)
Medical
Centers
(VAMC),
ensuring
that
veterans
who
need
home
care
are
able
to
receive
it
and
avoid
costly
nursing
… Read More
10.26.23 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
--
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
released
the
following
statement
after
the
Senate
passed
Senator
John
Kennedy
(R-LA)’s
dangerous
amendment
that
would
inhibit
VA's
efforts
to
protect
the
most
vulnerable
veterans
and
beneficiaries
from
harm:
“Over
the
summer
our
Committee
held
a
hearing
as
Committee
Republicans
tried
to
ram
through
the
highly-flawed
Veterans
2nd
Amendment
Protection
Act.
Committee
Democrats
had
major
concerns
about
this
… Read More
10.23.23 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
House
Veterans’
Affairs
Committee
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
and
Subcommittee
on
Health
Ranking
Member
Julia
Brownley
(CA-26)
released
the
following
statement
in
response
to
the
Committee
Republicans’
absurd
fourth
letter
to
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA)
requesting
veterans’
health
information
on
abortion
care:
“Committee
Republicans’
most
recent
letter
to
VA
about
the
Interim
Final
Rule
on
reproductive
healthcare
and
the
Department’s
abortion
policy
is
… Read More
10.11.23 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
Today
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
released
the
following
statement
after
House
Republicans
almost
shut
the
government
down
and
have
now
forced
work
in
the
House
to
a
halt
with
their
Speakership
fight:
“Many
Americans
might
look
at
this
chaos
and
dysfunction
we
are
seeing
from
House
Republicans
and
say
that’s
just
DC
politicians.
They
may
think
it
might
not
affect
them.
But
this
has
very
real
consequences.
House
Republicans
played
… Read More
09.19.23 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
-
In
case
you
missed
it:
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
has
been
selected
by
Wounded
Warrior
Project
(WWP)
to
receive
one
of
its
Legislator
of
the
Year
awards,
which
recognizes
outstanding
legislative
effort
and
achievement
to
improve
the
lives
of
wounded,
ill,
and
injured
veterans.?
“I
am
honored
to
receive
this
award
from
the
Wounded
Warrior
Project.
In
the
117th
Congress
I
had
the
privilege
of
serving as
Chairman
of
the
House
… Read More
09.14.23 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
D.C.—
Today,
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
delivered
the
following
remarks,
as
prepared,
at
the
beginning
of
the
Full
Committee’s
oversight
hearing
on
the
status
and
implementation
of
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
Electronic
Health
Record
Modernization
Program:
Thank
you,
Mr.
Chairman,
and
thank
you
to
the
witnesses
for
being
here
today
to
discuss
this
critical
project
at
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs.
I
want
to
start
off
by
… Read More
09.13.23 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
D.C.—
Today,
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
introduced
the
Ensuring
Veterans’
Smooth
Transition,
or
EVEST
Act
(H.R.
5416).
By
automatically
enrolling
eligible
servicemembers
in
VA
healthcare
during
their
transition
out
of
the
military,
the
EVEST
Act
will
simplify
the
transition
process
and
take
critical
steps
toward
preventing
veteran
suicide.
“I'm
proud
to
reintroduce
this
important,
commonsense
legislation
that
will
simplify
the
… Read More
08.09.23 •
Press Release
RIVERSIDE,
CA
–
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
released
the
following
statement
after reports
of
technical
difficulties
with
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs’
(VA)
PACT
Act
benefits
application
website
just
hours
before
the
deadline
to
apply
for
backdated
benefits:
“My
staff
has
been
briefed
by
VA
about
the
small
number
of
veterans
who
received
an
error
message
or
experienced
a
system
time-out
while
attempting
to
submit
… Read More
08.09.23 •
Press Release
RIVERSIDE,
CA—
Yesterday,
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
and
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs’
(VA)
Under
Secretary
for
Health,
Dr.
Shereef
Elnahal,
visited
the
VA
Loma
Linda
Health
Care
System.
Together,
they
met
with
the
local
VA
leadership
team
and
union
leaders,
held
a
veteran
roundtable,
and
conducted
two
VA
employee
town
halls.
They
also
visited
the
Jerry
L.
Pettis
Memorial
Veterans'
Hospital
in
Loma
Linda,
CA;
the
VA
… Read More
08.08.23 •
Press Release
RIVERSIDE,
CA
–
Today
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
released
the
following
statement
after
the
announcement
that
the
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs
(VA)
and
the
American
Federation
of
Government
Employees
(AFGE)
have
signed
a
new
contract
for
over
300,000
employees:
“I
applaud
VA
Secretary
Denis
McDonough,
his
team,
and
the
dedicated
civil-servants
at
AFGE
for
coming
to
an
agreement
that
has
been
years
in
the
making.
Anyone
who
… Read More
07.28.23 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
–
Today
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
and
House
Committee
on
Agriculture
Ranking
Member
David
Scott
(GA-13)
sent
a
letter
to
U.S.
Department
of
Agriculture
(USDA)
Secretary
Tom
Vilsack
in
support
of
veterans
experiencing
food
insecurity
and
their
eligibility
for
food
programs.
In
the
letter
the
members
said,
“We
thank
you
for
releasing
guidance
that
defines
‘veteran’
for
purposes
of
the
SNAP
exemption
… Read More
07.27.23 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
–
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
released
the
following
statement
after
voting
against
the
Military
Construction/Veterans
Affairs
government
funding
bill:
“I
fought
to
ensure
the
Toxic
Exposure
Fund
(TEF),
created
by
my
law,
the
Honoring
our
PACT
Act,
would
be
fully
funded
through
this
year’s
appropriations
process
to
ensure
toxic-exposed
veterans
can
get
the
care
and
benefits
they
have
earned.
It
is
also
… Read More
07.26.23 •
Press Release
WASHINGTON,
DC
—
Today
House
Committee
on
Veterans’
Affairs
Ranking
Member
Mark
Takano
(CA-39)
delivered
the
following
opening
remarks,
as
prepared,
at
the
start
of
the
Full
Committee
Markup
of
11
bills,
including
the
Elizabeth
Dole
Home
Care
Act
and
the
Student
Veterans
Benefits
Restoration
Act:
“Thank
you,
Mr.
Chairman.
Several
items
on
today’s
markup
agenda
represent
the
results
of
bipartisan
compromise
and
hours
of
staff
negotiation.
I
… Read More
