8. VETERANS, SERVICE MEMBERS, AND MILITARY FAMILIES
CORE PROMISE: Service should never be met with bureaucracy or neglect — support must be timely, clear and delivered with dignity.
When it comes to healthcare in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Congress has direct responsibility — because the VA is a federal healthcare system. That means access, funding, staffing, and standards of care are shaped by Congress, not by state law.
That’s important, especially for women veterans.
Women are one of the fastest-growing groups in the veteran population, but the VA system still hasn’t fully caught up. Too many VA hospitals and clinics don’t offer comprehensive women’s healthcare on site. That forces women veterans to travel long distances, rely on outside referrals, or face long delays for basic care.
Congress has the authority — and the obligation — to fix that.
As a Representative, I support requiring the VA to provide comprehensive women’s healthcare at every VA facility, including primary care, OB-GYN services, maternity care coordination, contraception, and reproductive healthcare. Women veterans should not receive a lesser standard of care because of where they live or which VA facility they use.
Congress also controls VA funding and staffing. We can fund the hiring and retention of OB-GYNs, nurse practitioners, midwives, and women’s health specialists so clinics aren’t understaffed and services aren’t limited on paper only.
When the VA cannot provide timely care in-house, Congress can strengthen and expand the VA Community Care program so women veterans can receive care in their communities without excessive delays, red tape, or surprise costs.
On reproductive healthcare specifically, I support ensuring that women veterans have access to the full range of medically appropriate reproductive care within the VA system, including contraception, miscarriage management, emergency care, and abortion services where permitted under federal law. Veterans should not lose access to care they earned because of political interference or shifting interpretations.
Finally, Congress must use oversight and accountability. That means tracking wait times, access gaps, and outcomes for women veterans — and holding VA leadership accountable when care is delayed, denied, or inadequate.
This isn’t theoretical. Congress sets the rules for the VA. If the VA isn’t delivering full, timely, respectful healthcare to women veterans, that’s a failure of policy and oversight — and it’s fixable.
Women veterans earned this care through their service. Congress has the power to deliver it — and I will use that power to make sure it happens.
Veterans earned their healthcare through service, and government has an obligation to deliver it without delay, excuses, or politics.
HOW I’LL WORK TO FIX IT:
Sponsor the “Seamless Transition Act” to ensure benefits continuity, bridge support, and coordinated care as service members transition into civilian life — including uninterrupted access to VA healthcare
Cut VA wait times through targeted staffing increases, scheduling modernization, improved claims processing, and clear accountability metrics — so veterans receive care when they need it, not months later
Expand mental-health access and crisis support for veterans and families in support off H.R. 1290 (Veterans Mental Health Crisis Referral Enhancement Act of 2025)
Push housing vouchers and prevention programs for at-risk veterans to prevent homelessness before it begins
Modernize the Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES) timelines and disability claim reviews, so families aren’t left in limbo
Protect pay stability during government shutdowns so military families are not used as leverage during political standoffs
Support passage of H.R. 3639 (VET PFAS Act) to ensure veterans exposed to toxic chemicals get the care, monitoring, and compensation they deserve
Expanding access to comprehensive women’s healthcare within the VA, including primary care, OB-GYN services, maternity care coordination, contraception, and reproductive healthcare, so women veterans receive the same standard of care at every VA facility
Using VA oversight to track wait times, access gaps, and outcomes — especially for women veterans and hold VA leadership accountable when care is delayed or denied
MD-05 FOCUS POINT:
I will fight to obtain funding for additional VA satellite facilities or an additional VA Clinic in MD-05 with the capacity to deliver comprehensive care, mental health services, and women’s healthcare closer to where they live
JOIN THE FIGHT.
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