Media

New Women Vets Legislation Applauded by Veterans

April 18, 2018
Press

WASHINGTON, DC (April 18, 2018) – This week, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) expressed unqualified support for two critical pieces of legislation sponsored by Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA) of the House Veterans Affairs Committee to improve healthcare for women veterans.

IAVA is proud to endorse the Women Veterans Equal Access to Quality Care Act (H.R. 93), to ensure that gender-specific services are available at every VA medical facility, and the Building Supportive Networks for Women Veterans Act (H.R. 91), to make permanent a program to provide retreat counselling for women veterans.

Both bills are reflective of key provisions in the groundbreaking IAVA-led Deborah Sampson Act (H.R. 2452), the centerpiece of our She Who Borne The Battle campaign to fill critical gaps in care for millions of female veterans. Rep. Brownley is also an original cosponsor of that landmark bill.

“IAVA applauds Congresswoman Brownley for her unwavering commitment to support our nation’s veterans,” said IAVA Founder and CEO Paul Rieckhoff. “We especially appreciate her strong leadership on behalf of women veterans—who are far too often forgotten. In the spirit of our She Who Borne The Battle campaign, Rep. Brownley’s important legislation, the Women Veterans Equal Access to Quality Care Act and the Building Supportive Networks for Women Veterans Act, carry forward and underscore the importance of key provisions in the Deborah Sampson Act. Representative Brownley is leading the way for veterans in her district and nationwide.”

As Mother’s Day and Memorial Day are approaching, and the #MeToo movement continues to grow, IAVA calls on the House and Senate to expeditiously enact these measures to fill gaps in care for women vets.

Rep. Brownley’s legislation comes just one month after IAVA’s launch of its landmark “Big 6” initiative, our biggest and boldest advocacy campaign ever, centering veterans voices and empowering them to lead the nation forward on our top priorities. The Big 6 is an urgent call to Congress, the White House, and all Americans to stand with IAVA now to tackle veteran suicide, support women veterans, defend the GI Bill, invest in and protect VA and DoD reform, sound the alarm on burn pits and empower veterans to utilize medical cannabis.

She Who Borne The Battle: More than 345,000 women have deployed since 9/11. Women are the fastest-growing segment of the veteran population and that trend will continue as the number of male veterans simultaneously declines over the next decades. However, many female veterans are left without the proper care to support their needs when they return from their service. She Who Borne the Battle will change this by providing a foundation of public awareness, local support and policy changes solely targeted at supporting and empowering female veterans. Learn more at SheWhoBorneTheBattle.org. Click here to see IAVA’s full Policy Agenda.