Veterans
Honoring Our Commitment to Those Who Serve
As a West Point graduate and former infantry officer, Senator Reed knows what it means to serve and understands the dedication and sacrifice service members and their families make to serve our country.
Reed also believes that we must keep our commitment to our veterans and their families by ensuring they have access to the quality, affordable benefit programs they have earned and by helping them transition back to civilian life.
As a member of the Appropriations Committee, he helped pass the largest veterans’ budget in history to support veterans, and significantly improved resources to treat Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Reed also helped pass the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, providing better benefits to veterans and their families for college and job training after their service.
Read More »In an effort to reduce the backlog of veterans’ disability claims, eliminate bureaucratic delays, and deliver benefits to veterans more quickly and efficiently, Reed worked with the VA to make Providence the first Regional VA office in the nation to install a new Veterans Benefit Management System (VBMS).
Key Priorities & Accomplishments
- Reed helped enact into law the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act, which requires a two-year budget for VA medical programs, ensuring better care for our nation’s veterans.
- Reed worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide over $5.7 million to upgrade the hallowed grounds of the Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Exeter and expand the cemetery for our veterans and their spouses. He also secured over $12 million in Recovery Act funding to renovate the Providence VA Medical Center and the Rhode Island State Veterans Home in Bristol.
- Reed wrote the law to create the Office of Service Member Affairs within the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to strengthen consumer protections for military families.
- Reed introduced the Zero Tolerance for Veterans Homelessness Act to help prevent veterans from becoming homeless. Reed’s proposed legislation would enable the VA to keep at-risk veterans in stable housing and offer increased assistance to veterans who have fallen into homelessness.
The Latest
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Doing More for U.S. Veterans
Posted on 5/26/2013 |
Reed Backs Action to Help Clear VA Claims Backlog
In an effort to eliminate bureaucratic delays and deliver benefits to veterans more quickly and efficiently, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a former Army Ranger and a member of the Armed Services and Appropriations Committees, today joined with Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Ba...
Reed Discusses Veteran Employment Opportunities
Senator Reed joins Providence Mayor Angel Taveras and Cranston Mayor Allan Fung at a job fair for service members and veterans at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Reed discussed the importance of helping veterans transition from military service to the civilian workforce. Over 90 employers and vetera...
Reed Celebrates Opening of Veteran Services Center
Senator Reed joins Rhode Island Housing in a ribbon cutting ceremony at Operation Stand Down Rhode Island’s Hartford Avenue location in Johnston to celebrate the opening of its newest expansion of its permanent housing and supportive service facilities for homeless and disabled veterans. This $1.3 milli...
90-year-old WWII veteran honored
Posted on 2/1/2013 |
RI Veterans Cemetery Receives $1.1 Million
EXETER, RI - In an effort to honor our veterans and provide them with a fitting final resting place, U.S. Senator Jack Reed today announced that Rhode Island will receive $1.1 million to improve operations and maintenance at the Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Exeter. This grant was...
Reed, NEA Help Launch New Blue Star Theatres Program for Military Families
PROVIDENCE, RI - Speaking from the stage at Trinity Rep, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today joined with National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Rocco Landesman, Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee, Major General Kevin McBride of the Rhode Island National Guard, and members of the creative a...
