WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives tonight passed H.R. 974, the Boosting Rates of American Veteran Employment (BRAVE) Act, introduced by Rep. Kathleen Rice and co-lead sponsor Rep. Paul Cook (R-CA). The BRAVE Act authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), when awarding federal contracts, to give preference to companies that have high concentrations of full-time veteran employees, which will reward contractors that actively hire veterans and create an incentive for others to d...
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GARDEN CITY, NY – U.S. Representative Kathleen Rice, a member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, released the following statement today regarding recent reports that the California National Guard is forcing thousands of servicemembers to repay bonuses that were offered as re-enlistment incentives during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Statement from Representative Kathleen Rice: “It is outrageous that the National Guard would try to claw back bonuses and benefits that were promised a...
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WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives voted by unanimous consent today to pass the Senate companion of H.R. 5770, legislation introduced in the House by U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice that will authorize a dental insurance program for military veterans and eligible family members. The program will allow veterans enrolled in health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to purchase dental insurance at a reduced rate through either MetLife or Delta Dental. The legislation authorizes the...
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Washington—Representatives Steve Israel (NY-03), Peter King (NY-02), Kathleen Rice (NY-04), and Lee Zeldin (NY-01) sent a bipartisan letter to Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald calling on him to address the deteriorating conditions at the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC). Recent reports have indicated that an aging ventilation system has caused harmful particles to collect on medical instruments in five operating rooms at the Northport VAMC. Due to the health risks associat...
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Today, U.S. Representative Mike Coffman (R-CO), Chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, and U.S. Representative Kathleen Rice (D-NY), a member of the subcommittee, called upon the Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Accountability Review and the Office of the Inspector General to make appropriate criminal referrals to law enforcement in regards to the Aurora VA hospital construction project. On March 26, 2016, the VA’s Administrative Investigation Board ...
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EAST MEADOW, NY – U.S. Representatives Kathleen Rice (NY-04), Lee Zeldin (NY-01), Peter King (NY-02) and Steve Israel (NY-03) joined local veterans and advocates today at the Veterans Memorial in Eisenhower Park to call on Congress to pass H.R. 4683, the Fairness for Veterans Act, which was recently introduced in the House by Reps. Mike Coffman (R-CO) and Tim Walz (D-MN) and has been cosponsored by all four members of the Long Island congressional delegation. In recent years, tens of thousands o...
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By Sid Cassese HempsteadWorks offers job services and programs for a variety of workers and employers, but it is its efforts on behalf of veterans that drew several county, state and federal officials to the career center on Monday. “They came to look at our program because it is an example of a model career center that is serving veterans well,” said Hempstead Supervisor Anthony Santino. He said HempsteadWorks provides veterans with a full complement of specialized employment and career servic...
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GARDEN CITY, NY – U.S. Representative Kathleen Rice, a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, toured the HempsteadWorks Career Counseling Center today with Assistant U.S. Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training Michael Michaud, a former Congressman from Maine and the former Ranking Member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and Town of Hempstead Supervisor Anthony Santino. Following the tour, Rep. Rice, Asst. Secretary...
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By Martin C. Evans Agustin Cabrera was among the first combat troops to fight in the Iraq War when President George W. Bush sent troops there in early 2003. But with exploding grenades a regular threat during convoys and near the prison camp where he was stationed, Cabrera said he soon found himself beset by combat anxieties he couldn’t control. The Massapequa resident was written up in Iraq for snapping at superiors. Back stateside at his post with the 46th Engineer Combat Battalion at Fort Po...
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GARDEN CITY, NY – U.S. Representative Kathleen Rice, a member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, released the following statement today regarding this week’s reports that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) paid more than $142 billion in bonuses to executives and employees in 2014. Statement from Representative Kathleen Rice: “As we celebrated Veterans Day this week, we also learned that the VA paid out more than $142 million in ‘performance-based’ bonuses to executives and employe...
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