Dear Friend,

Every year on Veterans Day, Americans unite to honor our servicemembers who have selflessly served and sacrificed for our country. But nothing can express our gratitude more than the actions of Congress and our taxpayers to support our veterans after their contribution to keep us free.

North Carolina’s 11th district is the home to 55,000 heroes who’ve served us proudly. As we celebrate and commemorate the service of these remarkable women and men, I thought it relevant to share with you some of the ways, just this year, that the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. taxpayers are saying THANK YOU to our veterans.

• The FY24 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill fully funds veterans’ health care programs, benefits, and other Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programs to make sure that the men and women who have served have access to the high-quality care, benefits, and services that they have earned.
• The Wounded Warrior Access Act modernizes the VA by making it easier for veterans to access their claims files in an electronic format.
• H.R. 815, the RELIEVE Act, closes a loophole that left certain veterans uninsured for emergency treatment.
• H.R. 502 eliminates an outdated rule regarding reimbursements to veterans and allows 25,000 service members and veterans to receive Montgomery GI Bill reimbursement, which they are entitled to.
• S. 777, the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2023, ensures that veterans’ benefits purchasing power does not erode due to the highest inflation in 40 years.
• H.R. 1669, the VET–TEC Authorization Act of 2023, as amended, continues a popular high-tech education and employment program for veterans and transitioning servicemembers, as well as:
  • Ensuring a burial allowance for veterans who die at home under care by VA-funded hospice services.
  • Modernizing the VA by authorizing electronic records for education assistance eligibility notification to make it easier for veterans and servicemembers to access their GI Bill benefits.
• H.R. 366, the Korean American VALOR Act, ensures Korean-American veterans who served in Vietnam are eligible for VA healthcare.
• S. 30, the FY23 Veterans Affairs Major Medical Facility Authorization Act, authorizes the VA to construct or renovate seven major medical facilities in FY23.
• S. 112, require the VA to make reforms to support children of Vietnam veterans who are born with spina bifida.
• H.R. 3981, the Isakson-Roe Education Oversight Expansion Act, expands the VA oversight of educational institutions that are recipients of GI bill education benefits.
• H.R. 1530, the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2023, reforms the process for veterans benefit claims.
• S. 2795, provides for a two-year extension of licensure requirements for contractor medical professionals to perform medical disability examinations for the VA under a pilot program for use of contract physicians for disability examinations. It also provides a two-year extension of period for applicability of certain relief for recipients of VA educational assistance who are affected by closure or disapproval of an education institution.

So every day, but especially on Veterans Day, may we never take for granted this gift of freedom that so many of our nation’s sons and daughters have valiantly fought for and express our appreciation for the veterans in our communities.

Happy Veterans Day to all of our veterans in Western North Carolina, and I hope that you sense the immense gratitude that every freedom-loving citizen has for your courage and sacrifice.

May God continue to bless our veterans, our servicemembers and the United States of America.

With my warmest regards,

Chuck Edwards
Member of Congress