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Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH) today released the following statement after joining his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives in support for passage of H.R. 4486, the 2015 Fiscal Year Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill.

“Our veterans have made incredible sacrifices in service to our country, and it is our duty to ensure they are taken care of upon their return home,” said Latta. “Today, the House passed legislation to ensure we can uphold our commitments to our veterans, ensuring they have quality medical care, access to job and training programs, and other benefits they have earned. It also addresses critical impediments to providing these services, including the unacceptable claims backlog, by modernizing current systems to best serve our nation’s heroes.”

The legislation provides $64.7 billion in discretionary funding for veterans’ programs, $1.5 billion more than appropriated last year. It also provides $173 million to create a paperless claims processing system in an effort to end the disability claims processing backlog. Next, it requires the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, the Department of Defense and the private sector to share medical data in a timely and accurate manner, so our veterans get the best medical care possible. The bill also provides for support systems and infrastructure to promote and preserve a high quality of life for our veterans and their families.

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