Civilians may be surprised to know that 2.7 million members of our armed forces have served our country during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nearly half of these brave servicemembers have served multiple deployments, and about 170,000 of these warriors have served three or more tours of duty. Incredibly, more than 28,000 indomitable members of our armed forces have been deployed more than five times. Approximately 7.8 million living veterans have served in the Gulf War era, and as of 2024, 48% of Gulf War-era II veterans have reported a service-connected disability. There are now more than 150,000 injured vets who have disability claims pending. The number of new disability claims submitted by veterans is expected to rise for many years, and even decades.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, the veteran unemployment rate was 3%, the lowest in 19 years. In 2022, there were about 216,000 unemployed veterans. For vets returning in good health, finding a job is often the most pressing priority. Many employers recognize the valuable intangibles most military-trained men and women possess. These qualities include leadership, expertise, stress management, discipline, and the ability to work effectively in teams to accomplish a goal. Advocates say more educational opportunities and job training programs are needed to help veterans find employment. Recruiting more Veterans for open employment positions would also help.

Pending Legislation: H.R.980 - Veterans Readiness and Employment Improvement Act of 2025 (passed House Committee on Veterans' Affairs 08/15/2025)
Sponsor: Rep. Derrick Van Orden (WI)
Status: Placed on the House Union Calendar (No. 186), awaiting floor debate and vote
House Speaker: Speaker Mike Johnson (LA)

• I oppose reforming current unemployed Veterans policy and wish to donate resources to the campaign committee of Speaker Mike Johnson (LA).
• I support improving educational and vocational support for veterans by:
  
  1.) Allowing veterans to use their Veterans Readiness and Employment (VR&E) benefits for non-degree flight training programs. Under current law, this benefit is limited to flight training that is part of a college degree program.
  
  2.) Removing the requirement that educational and vocational counseling on college campuses must be performed by specific Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) counselors, allowing the VA to hire more personnel to assist students.
  
  3.) Mandating that the VA undertake new outreach efforts for the VR&E program. This includes providing monthly Q&A sessions for school officials and conducting in-person or virtual informational briefings for veterans.
  
  4.) Extending a current provision that reduces pension payments for veterans and their survivors who reside in Medicaid nursing homes.
  
  And wish to donate resources to the campaign committee of Speaker Mike Johnson (LA) and/or to an advocate group currently working with this issue.