{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/what-others-are-saying?ContentRecord_id=D5E42E21-1906-499A-8E98-0BFEEE46DAA9", "Cherokee Tribune: Veterans act a bipartisan effort", "2016-12-14", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "GA", "Johnny Isakson", "I000055", "www.isakson.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "As published in the Cherokee Tribune \n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tFinally, bipartisanship has reared its head in Congress. Both houses have given final passage to legislation aimed at fixing major problems with veterans\u2019 access to health care, disability benefits and education as well as help with homelessness. The Senate voted unanimously for the Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2016 on the heels of unanimous approval by the House last week.\r\nSen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee, described the bill as a \u201cdown payment on the promise and the debt that we owe to the veterans of the United States of America.\u201d Isakson has taken on the mission of helping veterans with persistence and zeal, seemingly not distracted even by his re-election campaign which he won handily.\r\nThe new bill provides sweeping reforms, as outlined by Isakson, and they include: streamlining the process for veterans, their families and survivors to obtain disability compensation and benefits through the Veterans Affairs Department \u2013 and of great importance \u2013 expanding the federal Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims from seven to nine to help deal with backlogs of appeals by veterans.\r\n\u00a0Other provisions include: changing the VA policies on burial benefits and interment to expand eligibility for presidential memorial certificates to veterans who served in reserve units of the armed forces; extending education benefits for surviving spouses who lost a loved one on Sept. 11, 2001 or in the early years of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; modifying ownership requirements for small businesses participating in the VA contract assistance programs \u2014 and mandating a Labor Department five-year study of job counseling, training and placement service for veterans.\r\n\u00a0On the critical issue of health care and benefits, the new bill requires that preventative services include access to adult immunizations for veterans opting for them; giving priority to Medal of Honor recipients for access to health care; and ensuring that veterans of classified missions can get mental health care without having to disclose classified information.\r\nAnother key provision is a requirement that the VA submit a report to Congress each year concerning hospital care, medical services and nursing home care by the Veterans Health Administration. In addition, the qualifications for mental health care professionals are being expanded to make hiring easier; and research is to be enhanced on potential health effects from toxic exposures to veteran and their descendants. Plus, homeless veterans are to have better access to benefits.\r\n\u00a0A few months ago, with the prospect that more than 600,000 veterans would not have health coverage next year, Sen. Isakson spoke of the challenges ahead. He said, \u201cThere is always more work to be done to help our veterans.\u201d\r\n\u00a0With enactment of the Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2016, a lot of work will be done to fix the problems with health care and other issues affecting the men and women who have put their lives on the line for our country.\r\n\u00a0Thanks to Sen. Isakson, his fellow senators and the House members, Republicans and Democrats doing the right thing \u2014 all with one accord, a striking example of the fact that bipartisanship is alive and well. May there be a lot more of it in the coming days on other major issues to the benefit of our country.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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://www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/what-others-are-saying?ContentRecord_id=D5E42E21-1906-499A-8E98-0BFEEE46DAA9"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.097377087920904, "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"}