U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-GA, addressed the Aging and Veterans’ Affairs joint Committee hearing late last week and stressed an urgent need to support veteran caregivers and the burdens veterans and their families face when the nation’s caregiving infrastructure fails. During his testimony, Warnock addressed structural lapses in current caregiving programs for veterans and their families and the need to invest in new programs.

The hearing featured testimony from Pennsylvania veteran Peter Townsend and Montanan veteran caregiver Hannah Nieskens, as well as other witnesses with experience in veterans caregiving and veterans advocacy.

“[The witnesses] paint a picture of a fractured system where the constituent parts do not talk seamlessly to one another, clearly there’s room for improvement in addressing the need for continuity of care, so veterans don’t fall between the tracks,” said Warnock. “Thank you so very much for your witness and your testimony, I think [it] brings this kind of issue into clear focus and helps us see the work that we have got to do.”

During the hearing, Warnock said, “First Lady Rosalynn Carter, a great Georgian, used to say that there are only four kinds of people in the world. She said that ‘there are those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers and those who will need caregivers.’ Yet, our caregiving infrastructure is falling short for too many – including our veterans.

“The VA (Department of Veterans Affairs) boasts generous caregiving programs for veterans and their families, grateful for the work that happens there, but two of our witnesses today confronted challenges with one federal program intended to financially support caregivers of injured veterans.”

Warnock says he has been working to strengthen support for the nation’s veterans and caregivers. Two months ago, he joined with U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-OH, to introduce legislation to expand and protect the workplace rights of VA health care workers. The legislation would help ensure VA health care workers can freely advocate for their patients and working conditions without fear of retaliation.

The VA Employee Fairness Act of 2024 would ensure that VA’s Title 38 health care professionals—including nurses, physicians, dentists, and physician assistants who all serve our veterans—have the same workplace rights currently granted to other VA clinicians and federal employees. By providing full collective bargaining rights to these health care professionals, the VA will be better equipped to retain and recruit top tier staff to care for our nation’s veterans, and VA staff can be empowered to speak up about patient safety concerns, he said.

“This bill equips the VA to hire the most talented staff and allows it’s health care workers to advocate for patient safety, all while uplifting their own voice in the workplace,” said Warnock. “I’m going to do all I can to get this bill over the finish line.”

Warlock also points to his efforts in 2022 to help pass the bipartisan PACT Act, the largest expansion of veterans’ health benefits in decades. Additionally, the Senator has long championed efforts to strengthen the health care workforce, including securing $746 million to address health care workforce shortages in Georgia.

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