Accomplishments on Behalf of Veterans the Focus of Courtney's Latest Television Ad
COLCHESTER, CT – Congressman Joe Courtney's latest television ad focuses on his efforts to protect America's veterans - work that earned Courtney the endorsement of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Political Action Committee.
The ad highlights Courtney's success in reducing the medical travel costs for eastern Connecticut veterans. He secured a much needed van service to transport disabled veterans to their medical appointments and helped pass legislation that dramatically increased mileage reimbursement - boosting the previous 11 cent per mile rate to 42.5 cents.
In addition to the VFW PAC endorsement, Courtney's work on veterans' issues earned him the the 2008 Meritorious Service Award from the Connecticut National Guard Association and an "A+" rating from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association of America (IAVA).
The ad's script and background material can be found below:
"Earned"
Announcer: Congressman Joe Courtney: Protecting America's veterans... It starts right here – in Connecticut. That's why Joe Courtney, recipient of the 2008 Service Award from Connecticut's National Guard Association…
Awarded the Connecticut National Guard Association's 2008 Meritorious Service Award. In April 2008, Congressman Joe Courtney was presented the Connecticut National Guard Association's Meritorious Service Award, which is given to an individual, firm or organization for outstanding service to the men and women of the Connecticut National Guard. Congressman Courtney was nominated for his leadership in protecting the flying mission of the "Flying Yankees," the time he has taken to learn about and advocate for the Guard's needs, and for the accessibility of him and his staff to the Guard at all levels. In nominating him for the award, the leadership of the organization said that "Congressman Courtney has become a tireless advocate for, and an unwavering friend to, the men and women of the Connecticut National Guard."
Led the fight to save the Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) program, the future flying mission of the Connecticut Air National Guard. The JCA is particularly important to Connecticut, as the aircraft is expected to be assigned to the 103rd Airlift Wing of the Connecticut Air National Guard's "Flying Yankees" after 2012. When a Congressional effort to turn control of the JCA program over to the Air Force threatened the future of the aircraft, Congressman Joe Courtney led a successful bipartisan effort to save the program and provide the men and women of our Air National Guard greater confidence in their future.
Introduced legislation to end the unfair treatment of Connecticut's National Guard technicians. Due to the inequities of a nearly 40-year old law, hundreds of "dual-status" technicians of the Connecticut National Guard's 1109th AVCRAD, who serve as both part-time members of the Guard and full-time employees of the military, are denied fair pay and benefits they deserve as citizen soldiers. Congressman Courtney introduced the National Guard Technician Recruitment and Retention Act of 2008 to end this misguided policy and ensure that eastern Connecticut's citizen soldiers are treated fairly.
Announcer: …took on the VA bureaucracy. To provide a van and drivers that takes veterans to their medical appointments.
Secured vans to help veterans get to their medical appointments. After years of struggling with high transportation costs and long distances traveling to VA medical centers, veterans in eastern Connecticut were relieved when Congressman Courtney helped to create a much needed van service for disabled veterans to see their doctors. Disabled veterans no longer need to miss critical doctor appointments because of a lack of access to transportation.
Finally increased Veterans Transportation Assistance for Eastern Connecticut's Veterans. For over 30 years, disabled veterans in eastern Connecticut received a paltry 11 cents per mile reimbursement to help defray travel costs to their medical appointments at VA facilities in West Haven and Newington. Working with leaders in Congress such as Veterans Appropriations Chairman Chet Edwards, Congressman Courtney helped pass two significant increases in the travel reimbursement rate as part of the 2008 and 2009 VA budgets. For 2009, the boosts will increase the rate to 42.5 cents/mile. Congressman Courtney also joined Congressman Tim Walz of Minnesota in introducing H.R. 6625, a bill to permanently increase the mileage rate for veterans who travel to access their care at VA facilities, eliminate the per-trip deductibles that dilute the value of their reimbursements and ensure that more veterans can be helped with their travel costs.
Congressman Joe Courtney: And serves the men and women who bravely served us.
Going the 'Extra Mile' for our veterans. For all they have given us, Congressman Joe Courtney believes that our veterans, troops and military families deserve the strong support of their elected officials. Since his first day in office, Congressman Courtney has worked tirelessly to support our veterans and military families and help them address the challenges they face. For his work, Congressman Courtney was praised by the Hartford Courant as "a particularly strong advocate for increasing benefits on behalf of veterans," received an "A+" rating from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association of America (IAVA) for his advocacy on behalf of our newest veterans, and earned the endorsement of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) PAC for his re-election to Congress.
Helped Pass Historic New Investment in Veterans Healthcare . Congressman Courtney and the 110th Congress reversed years of stagnant budgets for veterans care and benefits by providing the largest increase in veterans' funding in the history of the VA – an additional $16 billion since January 2007. This funding ensures that more of our veterans get the high quality service and benefits they have earned for their service to our nation, including "Priority Eight" veterans who were shut out of the system in 2003. This funding strengthens quality health care for 5.8 million patients and earned benefits for all veterans, including focuses attention on the 333,000 veterans who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan, particularly those with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury; reduces the 396,000 claims backlog and the 177 day average wait for veterans to access earned benefits by adding thousands of new claims processors; and rejects the President's proposals to dramatically increase health care fees on eastern Connecticut veterans and military retirees. This unprecedented commitment to our veterans earned the endorsement of the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Veterans of Foreign Wars, and other major veterans' groups who hailed the veterans' funding bill as a "major victory" and an "impressive commitment" to those who have served.
Improved Treatment of our Wounded Warriors. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Courtney is leading the fight in Congress to improve our wounded warriors' transition home by introducing legislation (H.R 3191), which requires the Department of Defense to provide contact information of a wounded service member to the state veterans' affairs department in the state in which they intend to reside after their medical separation from the Armed Forces. Language from Congressman Courtney's bill was included in the Wounded Warrior Act – comprehensive legislation to address the failures at Walter Reed and improve the care of our wounded warriors - which is now law.
Worked Tirelessly to Ensure Our Troops Have the Best Body Armor. After hearing concerns about the adequacy of the oversight of the military's testing of body armor used by our troops in combat zones, Congressman Courtney led the charge in the House to begin an independent Government Accountability Office (GAO) study of the testing process. He visited the Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground, where body armor is tested, to see the process first hand and investigate the concerns. And, he introduced and passed legislation, the PROTECT Act, to improve the testing of body armor used by our troops in combat by strengthening oversight of the process. That bill, signed into law as part of the 2009 Defense Authorization Act, will provide our troops, and their families, greater confidence that they have the equipment they need to stay safe and return home.
Provided a New GI Bill to Iraq and Afghanistan Vets. Since 2001, more than 12,000 troops from Connecticut have been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Unfortunately, the GI Bill current benefits they returned to only pay only a fraction of the cost of a college education. Congressman Courtney joined a bipartisan coalition in introducing and passing a New Post-9/11 GI Bill that gives troops returning from Iraq or Afghanistan who have served 3 years on active duty full benefits to cover the costs of a four-year education up to the level of the most expensive in-state public school. The bill also allows service members with six years of service, coupled with an additional service agreement of four years, to transfer their educational benefits to their spouses and dependents. This measure, which is now law, was broadly supported by a bipartisan majority in Congress and by all major veterans' organizations - including the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America –and goes into effect in August, 2009.
Announcer: At a time when Washington can't seem to get anything right…Joe Courtney works…to get things done for us.
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