{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://barrett.house.gov/media/press-releases/barrett-welcomes-secretary-collins-back-mid-michigan-discusses-work-improve", "Barrett Welcomes Secretary Collins Back to Mid-Michigan, Discusses Work to Improve Services for Veterans", "2026-07-09", "2026", "2026-07", "Republican", "House", "MI", "Tom Barrett", "B001321", "barrett.house.gov", "barrett", "https://barrett.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Lansing, Mich. \u2014 Today, Congressman Tom Barrett welcomed U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins to mid-Michigan to discuss ongoing efforts and progress by Congress and the Trump administration to support veterans and improve access to the benefits and care they\u2019ve earned.\n\nThe officials met with staff at a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) clinic in Lansing, visited the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) National Home in Eaton Rapids, and held a roundtable discussion with local veteran leaders. Following the roundtable, Barrett presented Vietnam veteran Sgt. Robert Haywood with Purple Heart and service ribbons that Barrett obtained to replace the originals that were stolen from Haywood\u2019s residence.\n\n\u201cThe men and women who honorably served our country shouldn\u2019t have to jump through hoops when they come home to get the benefits they earned,\u201d said Barrett. \u201cI\u2019m grateful to Secretary Collins for visiting mid-Michigan again to hear directly from local veterans and dedicated VA staff about additional steps we can take to continue improving service at the VA. I\u2019m eager to continue working to ensure all our nation\u2019s heroes can access the support they deserve.\u201d\n\n\u201cCongressman Barrett has been a champion for Veterans, and it was inspiring to see how the improvements we\u2019re making at VA are helping Michiganders who wore the uniform,\u201d said VA Secretary Doug Collins. \u201cWe\u2019re putting Veterans first by expanding access to care, shrinking the backlog of Veterans waiting for benefits, repairing VA facilities at a record pace, and listening to Veterans on visits like this one so we can keep finding ways to improve.\u201d\n\nBarrett and Collins first visited the VA\u2019s Community-Based Outpatient Clinic in Lansing to hear from health care professionals and other staff about their work serving veterans, the implementation of the VA\u2019s new electronic health record system, and possible improvements to better serve veterans.\n\nThe officials then visited the VFW National Home in Eaton Rapids, which provides housing, child care, and other support services to veteran and military families, especially those transitioning to civilian life. After touring the campus, they met with VFW National Home leaders, veteran service officers, and other Michigan veterans to discuss how the VA can continue strengthening support, reducing delays, and improving service for the men and women who have served in the military.\n\n\u201cWe are grateful to welcome Congressman Tom Barrett and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins to the VFW National Home and appreciate the opportunity to share our mission firsthand,\u201d said Dr. Jerred Johnson, Executive Director of the VFW National Home. \u201cFor more than a century, the VFW National Home has been dedicated to helping military, veteran, and service families build new beginnings, and visits like this help shine a light on the importance of ensuring those who have served our nation have the support they deserve.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe're proud to welcome the Secretary to Ingham County and appreciate the opportunity to highlight the needs, successes, and resilience of our local veterans,\u201d said Amy Pocan, director of the Ingham and Clinton County Department of Veterans Affairs. \u201cOur veterans deserve leaders who are willing to listen. The Secretary's visit provides an important opportunity to engage directly with the County Veteran Service Officers of Ingham County, whose firsthand experience and working knowledge can help identify challenges, develop practical solutions, and strengthen services for the veterans we serve.\u201d\n\n\u201cVETLIFE is honored to welcome Congressman Barrett and Secretary Collins as they take the time to hear directly from organizations serving veterans across Michigan,\u201d said Joshua Parish, President & CEO of VETLIFE. \u201cEvery day, we see veterans and their families working to navigate a system that can be difficult to access, especially for those living in rural communities or facing barriers to care. As our veteran population and workforce continue to evolve, we have an opportunity to modernize how veterans connect with the benefits, healthcare, and support they have earned\u2014making access simpler, more responsive, and available before challenges become crises. We appreciate Congressman Barrett\u2019s leadership on veterans\u2019 issues and Secretary Collins\u2019 willingness to engage with organizations on the front lines. Together, government, nonprofits, and community partners can build a stronger, more connected system that empowers veterans and their families to thrive.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe opportunity to sit down with Congressman Barrett and Secretary Collins to discuss the MWTEC Veterans Academy is monumental,\u201d said Jason Peterson, Director of Veteran Academy MWTEC. \u201cTogether, we have an opportunity to strengthen the systems that connect veterans to education, meaningful careers, and the support they need to build successful futures in Michigan.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt isn't every day that the staff from a community college veteran support office gets to meet directly with their U.S. Representative AND the Secretary of the VA,\u201d said Andrew Cosgrove, Veteran Services Director at Lansing Community College. \u201cWe are honored to have the opportunity Rep. Barrett\u2019s office has provided us to meet with Secretary Collins to discuss some of the issues our veterans and dependents face when transitioning out of the military and into higher education and utilizing their GI Bill benefits. Our Veterans have sacrificed so much for us and our country; we, the staff of LCC\u2019s Center for Veteran and Family Support, do what we can to provide assistance and support so our veterans can be successful at LCC and move on to the next chapter of their lives, whether that\u2019s transferring to a university or entering the workforce.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe trust that Rep. Barrett and Secretary Collins will work to ensure our veterans and dependents are taken care of and provide veteran support offices around the country with the tools they need to assist veterans seeking better opportunities for themselves and their families,\u201d Cosgrove continued.\n\nParticipants in today\u2019s roundtable included:\n\nDr. Jerred Johnson, Executive Director of the VFW National Home\n\nDave Lewis, COO of the VFW National Home\n\nTodd Butler, deputy director of the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency\n\nMike Reeve, director of veteran affairs at the Shiawassee County Veterans Affairs Department\n\nAmy Pocan, director of veteran services at the Ingham and Clinton County Department of Veterans Affairs\n\nJohn Taylor, deputy director of veteran services at the Ingham and Clinton County Department of Veterans Affairs\n\nDenise Formolo, president of the Michigan Association of County Veteran Counselors\n\nKatrina Golab, enlisted corps representative at the National Guard Association of Michigan\n\nIan Knapp, coordinator of the Center for Veteran and Military-Affiliated Students at Michigan State University\n\nAndrew Cosgrove, director of veteran services at Lansing Community College\n\nRebecca Allen, veteran coordinator at Lansing Community College\n\nJason Peterson, director of the veteran academy at the Michigan Workforce Training and Education Collaborative\n\nJosh Parish, president and CEO of Vetlife\n\nMatthew Leach, partnership coordinator at VETLIFE", 1, "2026-07-10T08:20:04Z", "2026-07-10T08:21:18Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://barrett.house.gov/media/press-releases/barrett-welcomes-secretary-collins-back-mid-michigan-discusses-work-improve"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.599244773387909, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}