Rep. Graves Honors Fallen Service Members, Calls for Improved Veterans Services

U.S. Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA-14) issued the following statement ahead of Memorial Day 2013:

“The heroism of our service members plays a defining role in our history, especially through the last dozen years of war. So many of our sons and daughters have given all. Because of their sacrifice, all the hopes and dreams of a free society are able to live on. As we pause to preserve the fallen in our memories and in our hearts, we must also express gratitude to their families, to whom we owe a debt that cannot be repaid.

“This day of remembrance comes at a time when many thousands veterans have survived war, only to be forgotten at home. We can further honor the fallen by treating those they served beside—our veterans—with the dignity and respect they deserve. I again call on the Department of Veterans Affairs to vastly improve veterans services above and beyond their current standards and goals.”

Background:
In April, Rep. Graves wrote an op-ed about the massive backlog of veterans’ claims with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In the piece, Rep. Graves offered three policy proposals: he challenged VA Secretary Shinseki to cut the wait time for claims processing to 30 days, down from the VA’s stated goal of 125 days; announced his support for the Veterans Timely Access To Health Care Act; and suggested that the government hire major tech companies to help with the task of bringing the VA into the digital age.