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U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown
Honoring Our
Veterans with the Benefits They Deserve
Melissa Twine’s husband, Captain Philip Twine, was a logistics officer
in the Air Forced when he was killed in the line of duty in 2002. In an
instant, the Batavia native and fellow Air Force veteran became a
single mother of four and the sole breadwinner for a family struggling
with grief. She put her plans for a Master’s degree on hold to focus on
raising and supporting her children. Now, 14 years later, she is
finally ready to fulfill her dream of higher education.
The Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship provides GI Bill
benefits to surviving spouses and children of servicemembers who have
died in the line of duty since 9/11, but those benefits expire after 15
years. That means Ms. Twine doesn’t have the time to complete a
Master’s degree before her benefits expire. And so many other surviving
spouses face similar dilemmas.
This year, we’re going to change that, and we’re going to make sure
that families who have sacrificed so much for our nation get these
benefits.
Last week my colleagues on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee and I
introduced the Veterans First Act — a comprehensive, bipartisan bill to
grant veterans and their families expanded benefits and ensure that the
VA has the resources to provide veterans with the highest quality of
care.
No veteran should face living on the street, exploitation by for-profit
colleges, or inadequate health care — and we’re addressing all of these
issues with this bill.
In addition to expanding the Fry Scholarship, it will also expand
eligibility for the VA’s Yellow Ribbon Program, which helps students
avoid out-of-pocket tuition and fees, to include all spouses and
children of servicemembers who gave their lives fighting for our
country.
The bill also incorporates legislation I helped introduce to restore
the GI benefits of veterans who lost credit or training time because
their school permanently closed. We’ve heard too many stories of shady
for-profit colleges closing abruptly, leaving students — including many
veterans — in limbo. This will ensure that these veterans don’t lose
their GI benefits.
We also know that, shamefully, too many veterans don’t have a roof over
their heads or a place to call home.
The legislation incorporates elements of the Veteran Housing Stability
Act, which would increase veterans’ access to permanent housing
options. This is an issue we’ve been working on for years. Last year, I
visited organizations across Ohio that are doing wonderful work to give
veterans the support they need to get back on their feet and find
permanent homes. Even one veteran on the street means Congress isn’t
doing enough to tackle this problem.
The legislation also helps ensure whistleblowers at the VA can disclose
concerns relating to veteran’s care without fearing retaliation.
And it expands a critical program to support veteran caregivers. As a
country, we’ve made a promise to care for veterans in return for their
service to this country. That means supporting family members who often
serve as caregiviers. Right now, 9/11 veterans and their families
already take advantage of this critical support. This bill will make
that same support available to families and veterans of all generations.
I’m optimistic that we will soon pass this important legislation to
protect our nation’s heroes, and honor them with the benefits they’ve
earned and deserve.
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