The field hearing, titled “Veterans Access to Care, Services, and Economic Opportunity,” addressed critical issues facing veterans

TAMPA, Fla.—Today, Senator Rick Scott hosted a U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging field hearing in Tampa to discuss veterans’ access to care, services, and economic opportunity. The hearing addressed critical issues facing veterans such as scheduling delays, transition from active duty to civilian life and access to facilities and resources for disabled veterans, among other issues.

Joining Senator Scott at the hearing were Representatives Gus Bilirakis, Laurel Lee, and Anna Paulina Luna. Witnesses included State Senator Jay Collins; David Harris, Department of Florida Commander Emeritus at Veterans of Foreign Wars; Sharon Silas, Director of Healthcare, Government Accountability Office; Teresa Galgano, Director of Member Relations at the Blinded Veterans Association; and Gregg Laskoski, Communications Director of K9 Partners for Patriots, Inc.

Senator Rick Scott said, “First off, I want to wish folks here a happy Veterans Day and thank you for your service to our great country. As a Navy veteran and the son of a World War II veteran, I know firsthand the sacrifices made by our military members and their families. As your U.S. Senator, I am working hard for all of you to make Washington work for our veterans and service members. At today’s hearing, we had the opportunity to address and discuss critical issues and I have some ideas on how to fix Washington to work better for our veterans who have sacrificed so much. If you put your life on the line, your government should have your back. I hope my message was clear today: We will always stand with our veterans and fight hard to get them the treatment and benefits they bravely earned.”

Representative Gus Bilirakis said, “While I’m proud of the progress we have made in ensuring Veterans have access to the care and benefits they deserve, I know we still have a great deal of work to do. I thank Senator Scott for assembling an esteemed group of expert panelists from throughout the Tampa Bay area and I look forward to hearing from them about the ways Congress can do a better job of serving those who have so faithfully served our great nation.”

Representative Anna Paulina Luna said, “I’m grateful to Senator Scott for setting up this field hearing to highlight the issues our Veterans face off the battlefield. There are so many ways we could improve the services and access to resources that our Vets have through the VA, and it’s our duty to ensure they get the care they earned and deserve. I look forward to hearing from the witnesses at today’s hearing and will take this opportunity as a chance to represent their voices in Congress.”

Representative Laurel Lee said, “The commitment and honor of our veterans, and their families, is what keeps this nation free. We owe our nation’s heroes an enormous debt of gratitude. Thank you to Senator Rick Scott for your leadership and for hosting this field hearing today as we work together for Florida’s veterans.”

Read more about how Senator Scott is making Washington work for veterans by clicking his Veterans Day Update HERE or above.

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