10.14.22 • Press Release
RIVERSIDE, CA – Last week, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and 54 of his colleagues sent a public comment letter expressing support for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Interim Final Rule (IFR), which allows for abortion counseling and abortions in cases of rape, incest, and health of the woman. “This is a long-overdue step in improving care for women veterans, and in furthering VA’s ongoing efforts to
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10.14.22 • Press Release
RIVERSIDE, CA – House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released the following statement supporting VA’s action to close the gap in survivor benefits for certain survivors of LGBTQ+ veterans. This ruling immediately impacts LGBTQ+ veterans who were unable to wed until the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision, and who were not married to their now-deceased veteran spouses for long enough to qualify for survivor
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10.13.22 • Press Release
RIVERSIDE, CA – House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released the following statement following Secretary McDonough’s decision to delay the rollout of a new electronic health record (EHR) until 2023: “I support VA’s plan to further delay EHRM go-lives until the system can be made safe for veterans. Patient safety should be the guiding principle for this program. However, it is clear this program was not given a foundation
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09.29.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (HVAC) Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) delivered opening remarks at the Full Committee hearing entitled, "Veteran Suicide Prevention: Capitalizing on What Works and Increasing Innovative Approaches."
View Chairman Takano's remarks here.
Chairman Takano’s remarks as prepared: For years now, this Committee has prioritized, passed, and sent to the White House major pieces of
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09.29.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, the House of Representatives passed eight bipartisan, bicameral bills to support veterans. These include bills from new members Rep. Peltola (D-Alaska) and Rep. Ryan (D-N.Y.) that will help end veteran hunger and expand home loans for Members of the National Guard and Reserve. The House also passed two bills to help veterans in crisis, including House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano’s (D-Calif.) REMOVE Copays Act and
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09.21.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held a full Committee markup, advancing 13 bills that will increase accessibility to mental health care and resources, promote equitable access to reproductive healthcare services for all veterans, and ensure that veterans transitioning from service to civilian life are fully and holistically supported and able to access comprehensive benefits. “These bills reaffirm our country’s commitment to
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09.20.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (HVAC) Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) delivered opening remarks at the joint Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and Subcommittee on Technology Modernization hearing entitled, "VA Major Acquisitions Failures: In Search of Solutions."
Watch Chairman Takano's remarks here.
Chairman Takano’s remarks as prepared: Thank you, Chairman Pappas. I would like to echo
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09.19.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives passed two bills honoring the lives and legacies of veterans. These bills include naming the VA outpatient facility in Ventura, California after Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner, a member of the Navy’s first flight-training class for women, the first woman to command a naval aviation squadron, and a lifelong advocate for women’s military service. The House voted to rename the VA community-based outpatient clinic in
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09.19.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released the following statement on the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Annual Suicide Report:
“VA's annual suicide report contains encouraging news about another drop in the veteran suicide rate, but our work to reduce veteran suicide cannot, and will not, stop until all veterans receive the care, benefits, and opportunities to thrive that they have earned and
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09.15.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (HVAC) Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) delivered opening remarks at the Full Committee hearing entitled, "Examining women veterans' access to the full spectrum of medical care, including reproductive healthcare, through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Health Administration (VHA)."
View Chairman Takano's remarks here.
Chairman Takano’s remarks as prepared: Over the
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09.14.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives passed 5 bipartisan bills that will strengthen the delivery of benefits and care to veterans and their families, including the Veterans’ Compensation Cost of Living Adjustment Act and the Student Veteran Emergency Relief Act.
“The bills passed today build upon the work this Committee has done to support veterans and their families throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Chairman Takano. “In particular,
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09.02.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released the following statement on Secretary Denis McDonough’s interim final rule to allow the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide abortion counseling and abortions in cases of incest, rape, and life or health of the woman, covering these services for the first time for veterans and beneficiaries of the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans
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08.23.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) officially unveiled the Committee’s Veterans Reproductive Healthcare Survey as part of the Committee’s larger effort focused on reproductive healthcare access for America's veterans.
The survey will gather feedback about how veterans have used reproductive care at VA in the past, and the improvements they want to see implemented at VA.
“As the
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08.18.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and Subcommittee on Health Chairwoman Julia Brownley (D-Calif.) announced a new Committee effort focused on reproductive healthcare access for America's veterans. The initiative kicked off with multiple oversight visits and listening sessions in Oklahoma and Texas, where Committee Members and staff heard directly from veterans and their VA healthcare providers who face
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08.16.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, the House of Representatives passed S.5548, the Ensuring the Best Schools for Veterans Act of 2022, by unanimous consent. S.5548 is the Senate version of H.R.8198, previously introduced by House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and Ranking Member Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.). The Ensuring the Best Schools for Veterans Act of 2022 will improve access to high-quality education for veterans by eliminating burdens placed on
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08.10.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released the following statement after President Biden signed the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act or Honoring our PACT Act – the largest expansion of veterans' benefits in decades – into law.
“At his State of the Union Address, President Biden called on Congress to send him a comprehensive bill to address the effects of toxic exposure for all current and future veterans.
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08.02.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released the statement below following Senate passage of his Honoring Our Promise To Address Comprehensive Toxics Act Of 2021 Or Honoring Our PACT Act. “Last month, the House of Representatives once again passed my Honoring our PACT Act, and today, the Senate voted to do the same. It took longer than anticipated, but in the end, I am heartened that many Senate Republicans finally put veterans over politics and joined
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07.28.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (HVAC) Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) delivered remarks at the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations’ hearing entitled, Progress Made? Ending Sexual Harassment at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
View Chairman Takano's remarks here.
Chairman Takano’s remarks as prepared: Thank you, Chairman Pappas. I’d like to associate myself with the statement
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07.28.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (HVAC) Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) delivered remarks at a press conference following the failed Senate cloture vote on the PACT Act.
View Chairman Takano's remarks here.
Chairman Takano’s remarks as prepared: Earlier this month, the House of Representatives once again passed my Honoring our PACT Act, and I had hoped that today, the Senate would take the final actions needed to get this bill
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07.27.22 • Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (HVAC) Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) spoke today at the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization’s hearing on Protecting our Veterans: Patient Safety and Electronic Health Record Modernization Program.
View Chairman Takano's remarks here.
Chairman Takano’s remarks as prepared: Thank you, Chairman Mrvan, for holding this very important hearing. Today, the Subcommittee
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