“We have more than 50,000 Veterans in our area who deserve
to receive all of the benefits they earned by serving our country,” said
Brindisi. “We had a positive discussion with Secretary Wilkie and Dr. Stone
about the concerns of Upstate Veterans. We’ll keep pushing for a budget that
increases funding for State Veteran Homes and allows Veterans in small towns to
receive services at locations like the Bainbridge VA clinic.”
Brindisi asked the witnesses about addressing the backlog of
grant requests for State Veteran Homes and expanding access to VA health
services in rural areas. Last year, Brindisi secured key language in a
government funding bill to protect the Bainbridge VA clinic from closure.
Brindisi, a champion for rural Veterans, inserted a provision requiring the VA
to conduct a market area assessment before taking action on Bainbridge.
Brindisi hosted Dr. Stone at the Bainbridge clinic in November. Last year,
President Trump signed two Brindisi bills supporting Veterans: Brindisi’s
Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2019, and his
Support for Suicide Prevention Coordinators Act.
