Senator Patty Murray's office issued the following Friday:
VETERANS: Senator Murray Applauds VA Secretary’s Announcement That Will Keep All Veterans in Caregiver Support Program While Reforms Made
Announcement
comes two days after Senator Murray asked VA Secretary Wilkie during a
Congressional hearing to allow veterans to stay in the program until
reforms are made to ensure decisions are being made accurately
Senator Murray’s request comes after NPR report of veterans being kicked out or downgraded from program arbitrarily
Senator
Murray: “I commend Secretary Wilkie for taking these concerns
seriously...But this is just the first step….I urge the Secretary to use
this time to get it right”
WATCH: Senator Murray’s exchange with VA Secretary Wilkie about the Caregiver Support Program eligibility
(Washington, D.C.) –U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) commended Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie for announcing today
that VA will temporarily suspend discharges and downgrades for veterans
enrolled in VA’s Caregiver Support Program. The program, which Senator
Murray helped implement in 2011 when she was Chairman of the Senate
Veterans’ Affairs Committee, supports those who provide care for
veterans injured as a result of their service to our country. Senator
Murray had expressed her deep concerns to Secretary Wilkie two days ago
during a Congressional hearing about reports of veterans who’d lost
eligibility in the program for arbitrary reasons. (Watch their exchange here.)
“I commend Secretary Wilkie for taking
these concerns seriously and putting forth this moratorium. But this is
just the first step. On behalf of veterans and their caregivers across
the country, I urge the Secretary to use this time to get it right. Our
military families, who sacrificed so much on our country’s behalf,
deserve nothing less,” said Senator Murray.
Senator Murray has consistently worked to hold
senior VA officials accountable for implementing the Caregivers program
in a way that works best for veterans and their caregivers, not the
least of which is creating clear, standardized eligibility requirements.
In June 2018, Senator Murray helped secure additional federal investments
in the program to ensure VA had the resources that VA leaders have long
said is necessary to make the program a success. Additionally, in May, Senator Murray’s proposal
to expand the program to make veterans of all eras eligible for the
program passed Congress and was signed into law as part of the VA
MISSION Act.
