Veterans | Senator Susan Collins

Today, nearly 22 million Americans hold the distinguished title of Veteran, and more than 127,000 of those individuals live in our great State of Maine. As the daughter of a World War II Purple Heart recipient, Senator Collins learned first-hand of the sacrifice that these heroes and their families make to advance the cause of freedom. Fighting on behalf of our nation’s Veterans, Senator Collins has worked to support the needs of Veterans nationwide by protecting access to rural health care, holding the Department of Veterans Affairs accountable in the wake of scandal, and expediting the process for disabled veterans to get the services they need.

Senator Collins Joins Bipartisan Group in Calling for Inspector General Investigation into VA’s Failure to Pay Veterans Full Benefits

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers in calling for a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Inspector General investigation into allegations that the VA would not reimburse veterans for misused or underpaid benefits.

In their bipartisan letter to the VA’s Inspector General, the lawmakers ask about how the technical errors occurred, how quickly any reimbursements will be made, and how the VA plans to make sure all benefits will continue to be paid out without interruption.

Senators Elizabeth and Bob Dole Recognize Senator Collins for Advocacy on Behalf of Military Caregivers

Marjorie Pennington, a 2017 Elizabeth Dole Fellow and military caregiver from Kenduskeag, Maine, presented Senator Collins with the award

Collins, King Urge Army Secretary to Create USS Thresher Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined with Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in a letter urging Secretary of the Army Mark Esper to consider the USS Thresher Arlington National Cemetery Memorial Project to establish a monument honoring the 129 men who perished aboard the USS Thresher, a submarine that sank off the coast of New England on April 10, 1963.

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Maine and Togus: A Proud Record of Honoring and Caring for Our Veterans

Veterans Day is a solemn anniversary, a day set aside not to celebrate victory in a great battle, but to honor the sacrifices that brought peace. The 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month of 1918 was not marked by the roar of cannon. Rather, it was the moment the guns of the First World War were silenced by courage, devotion to duty, and a commitment to freedom.

Senator Collins Applauds Significant Decline in Veteran Homelessness

Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senator Susan Collins applauded the findings of a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) study that revealed that the number of veterans experiencing homelessness in 2018 decreased by 5.4 percent since last year. HUD also reported a nearly 10 percent decline among female veterans experiencing homelessness.

Senators Collins, King, and Representative Pingree Announce Nearly $300,000 for USM’s TRIO Veterans Upward Bound Program

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representative Chellie Pingree announced that the University of Southern Maine’s Veterans Upward Bound program has been awarded $275,155 from the U.S. Department of Education.

Senator Collins Receives Distinguished Citizen Award from Congressional Medal of Honor Society

Senator Collins was honored Friday night alongside Secretary of Defense James Mattis, “FOX News Sunday” host Chris Wallace, and comedian Jay Leno

Senator Collins Celebrates Opening of Maine’s first Fisher House at Togus in Augusta

Senators Collins, Manchin Announce Passage of Their Resolution Supporting Purple Heart Day

Click HERE to read the text of the resolution

Senate Advances Funding Bills That Make Important Investments in Veterans Health Care, National Security, and Infrastructure

Washington, D.C. — By a vote of 86-5, the Senate passed a bipartisan appropriations “minibus” today that includes the fiscal year 2019 Energy and Water, Veterans Affairs, and Legislative Branch funding bills. U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee and the Chairman of the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, successfully pushed for a number of provisions that were incorporated into the final bill. The legislation now awaits further consideration by the House of Representatives.

Senators Collins, King Announce Nearly $50 Million for Maine Veterans’ Homes in Augusta

Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senators Susan Collins, a member of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Subcommittee, and Angus King announced today that the State of Maine will receive nearly $50 million towards a 138-bed nursing home in Augusta that Maine Veterans’ Homes is building that will replace an older facility.

Senate Appropriations Committee Approves $860 Million for Veterans Caregiver Support Program

Washington, D.C. – U.S.

Appropriations Committee Advances Senator Collins’ Priorities to Improve Rural Veterans’ Access to Health Care Nationwide

Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced today that the Appropriations Committee approved a provision she authored in its report that will ensure continued access to health care for rural veterans nationwide. Senator Collins is a senior member of the Appropriations Committee and the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Subcommittee. The bill, which was advanced unanimously by a vote of 31-0, will now be considered by the full Senate.

Senator Collins Participates in Old Orchard Beach Memorial Day Parade, Delivers Remarks at Ceremony

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Senate Passes Major Veterans Health Reform Legislation

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Patty Murray (D-WA) applauded the passage of the VA MISSION Act, which creates a new Veteran Community Care Program to streamline the delivery of health care and help veterans access care closer to home.

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Supporting Family Caregivers

Across the United States, more than 40 million Americans provide care for parents, spouses, children, and other relatives with disabilities or illness. Here in our State, about 178,000 Mainers care for their loved ones and help them live in their homes and communities.

ICYMI: AARP Applauds Passage of Senator Collins’ RAISE Family Caregivers Act

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2018 -- AARP welcomes passage in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives of the bipartisan Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act (H.R. 3759). The legislation, introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and in the U.S. House by Representatives Gregg Harper (R-MS) and Kathy Castor (D-FL), requires the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a strategy to support the nation's 40 million family caregivers.

House Passes Collins-Authored Bill to Support Family Caregivers

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) today applauded House passage of the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act. This bipartisan legislation, introduced by Senators Collins and Baldwin in May 2017, would establish a coordinated strategy to support family caregivers.

Maine Delegation Applauds VA Announcement to Fund Veteran Support Specialists in Maine

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Bruce Poliquin today applauded the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) announcement that it will fund three new positions in Maine to better serve the needs of justice-involved Maine veterans confronting homelessness, mental health, or substance abuse issues. The funding will support a Veterans Justice Outreach (VJO) Specialist, a Health Care for Re-entry Veterans (HCRV) coordinator, and a specialist focused on veteran suicide prevention.

Senators Collins and King at Wreaths Across America

Senators Collins and King Participate in Wreaths Across America Ceremony at U.S. Capitol

Click HERE for a high-resolution photo of Senators Collins and King

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Commemorating Veterans Day in Freedom, Maine

Veterans Day is one of the most sacred days on our national calendar. This year, it was a special pleasure to spend that day of remembrance and gratitude in Freedom, Maine, a town whose very name celebrates the great gift we have been given by our veterans and those who serve today.

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Administrators, Faculty from Fourteenth Street School Meet with Senator Collins in Washington

Washington, D.C. -U.S. Senator Susan Collins met with Fourteenth Street School Principal Dan Chadbourne and teacher Kim Scaves along with Bangor School Department Superintendent Betsy Webb in her Washington, D.C., office. In September, Fourteenth Street School in Bangor was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a 2017 National Blue Ribbon Schools. Fourteenth Street School is one of only three Maine schools—and one of only 342 public and private schools nationwide—to be recognized for this highly prestigious achievement in 2017.

Senators Collins, King Announce More Than $2.7 Million for Maine Veterans’ Homes in Bangor

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins, a member of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Subcommittee, and Angus King announced today that the State of Maine will receive up to $2,705,671.57 for a renovation and expansion project currently underway at the Maine Veterans’ Home facility in Bangor. The funding was awarded through the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) State Home Construction Grant Program.

Senator Collins, King Announce USM to receive nearly $300,000 for Veterans Upward Bound Program

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that the University of Southern Maine (USM) will receive $263,938 through the U.S. Department of Education’s Veterans Upward Bound Program. This is the first time Maine has received this grant, which is designed to help veterans who are the first in their family to attend college develop the skills necessary to succeed in postsecondary education programs.

Collins, King Applaud Passage of Legislation to Fund Veterans Choice Program

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King applauded the passage of the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017 they cosponsored that provides $2.1 billion in emergency funding to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to fund the Veterans Choice Program for an additional six months. The program helps veterans across Maine and the nation receive health care within their communities and allows veterans in Northern Maine to continue to utilize community care as they did under the Access Received Closer to Home (ARCH) pilot.

Senators Collins, Manchin Announce Passage of Their Resolution Supporting Purple Heart Day

Click HERE to read the text of the resolution

Senator Collins Continues to Protect Northern Maine Veterans’ Access to Health Care

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a provision she authored aiming to preserve Northern Maine veterans’ access to health care. Senator Collins is a senior member of the Appropriations Committee.

Specifically, Senator Collins’ provision directs the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that veterans who participated in the Access Received Closer to Home (ARCH) pilot maintain continuity of care through the use of provider agreements.

Legislation Cosponsored by Senators Collins, King to Restore Accountability at the VA Signed into Law

Washington, D.C. — Bipartisan legislation cosponsored by U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) that will help reform the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has been signed into law. The Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act will allow the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to dismiss bad employees and ensure appropriate due process protections for whistleblowers.

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Supporting America’s Military Caregivers

Sen. Susan M. Collins

The effects of military service often do not end with a tour of duty. For some veterans and their families, the journey may extend for a lifetime. For those veterans bearing both the visible and invisible scars of conflict, the transition home is often not easy. Recovery, too, can take decades. Along the way, mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, and other family members and friends step in to serve.

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Honoring the Brave Men and Women Who Have Earned the Purple Heart

Sen. Susan M. Collins

In small towns and big cities across our country, Americans recently gathered to commemorate Memorial Day and honor those who died in the service of our country. This solemn day of gratitude allows us to reflect on the fact that our freedom is a gift purchased at the greatest possible price.

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