{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://larsen.house.gov/press-release/larsen-supports-measure-increase-benefits-veterans", "Larsen Supports Measure to Increase Benefits for Veterans", "2013-11-13", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "WA", "Rick Larsen", "L000560", "larsen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON\u2014Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, today supported a bill to give a 1.5 percent increase in veterans benefits. The cost-of-living increase matches the projected 2014 increase in Social Security payments.\n\u201cWe can honor our veterans year-round, not just on Veterans Day, by making sure they receive the benefits they have earned,\u201d Larsen said. \u201cMany veterans in Northwest Washington depend on their monthly benefit checks to make ends meet. This cost-of-living increase will help vets keep up with rising costs for food and housing.\u201d\nThe Senate passed the bill last month, and the House approved it today by unanimous consent. It now goes to the White House for the President to sign it into law.\nLarsen has put forward several initiatives to help veterans.\nEarlier this year, Larsen\u00a0successfully attached language\u00a0to a VA funding bill that directs the VA to update the Veterans Affairs Schedule for Rating Disabilities according to up-to-date, medically accurate standards. The change was driven by a Clinton, Washington, resident who wrote to Larsen asking for assistance when the disability rating she received for her fibromyalgia was not consistent with standard medical assessments.\nWorking with Sen. Patty Murray, Larsen\u00a0introduced a bill\u00a0last year to improve health care for female veterans and provide advanced fertilization treatment for veterans with service-connected disabilities who are trying to start families. The VA\u00a0enacted a portion of that bill\u00a0earlier this year, and Larsen has secured 51 additional cosponsors for the measure in the House.\nLarsen also introduced the bipartisan\u00a0Veterans Education Transparency (VET) Act, which would allow colleges to access information about veterans\u2019 educational benefits so they can provide better counseling to veterans.\nLarsen\u2019s staff in Everett and Bellingham work one-on-one to assist veterans with their benefits claims, having completed more than 60 cases in the last year. His office also established a veterans skills-to-jobs initiative that works with veterans, local colleges and employers to translate veterans\u2019 military experience to skills demanded by the private sector.", 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": ["http://larsen.house.gov/press-release/larsen-supports-measure-increase-benefits-veterans"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 23.48981611430645, "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"}