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 toxic-exposed veterans th… Read More
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 access firearms.… Read More
- 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 success of the implem… Read More
VA's "GI Bill College Comparison Tool" - https://www.vets.gov/gi-bill-comparison-tool
DoE's "College Scorecard" - https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
Veteran Education Success Top Ten Tips for student veterans - https://veteranseducationsuccess.org/top-ten-tips/
American Association of Community Colleges' reliable, non-profit, community college search engine - https://www.aacc.nche.edu/Pages/CCFinder.aspx… Read More
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that it plans to propose expanded disability compensation eligibility for Veterans exposed to contaminated drinking water while assigned to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.
From 1953 to 1987, water sources at the base were contaminated with industrial solvents that are correlated with certain health conditions. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald decided to propose presumptions of service connection for certain conditions as… Read More
The unemployment rate for veterans dropped to a seven-year low in August, and the rate for Iraq and Afghanistan war-era veterans fell to the lowest level since federal officials started tracking that population.
The news came the same day that Bureau of Labor Statistics officials announced the national unemployment rate in August had dropped to its lowest level since 2008, before President Obama took office.
Analysts have cautioned against making long-term assumptions based on the monthly … Read More