On Veterans Day, Congresswoman Elaine Luria Honors Our Nation's Heroes and Reflects on Her Work on Behalf of Veterans
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Elaine Luria reflected on the work she has done on behalf of veterans in Coastal Virginia during her first term in Congress. A 20-year Navy veteran serving a district that is home to numerous military installations and over 100,000 veterans, Congresswoman Luria has been a staunch advocate for our nation’s veterans and military families. One of her top priorities is ensuring that all veterans have the resources they need to thrive after their service.
“On Veterans Day, like every day, it is important to recognize and thank our servicemembers and their families for their sacrifices and irreplaceable contributions,” Congresswoman Luria said. “In Coastal Virginia, veterans and military families are the fabric and backbone of our community. I am honored to champion the cause of those who have given so much to our nation.”
Since taking office in January, Congresswoman Luria has led several legislative efforts to uphold her promise to fight for American veterans.
- Congresswoman Luria introduced the Gold Star Family Tax Relief Act (H.R. 2481) to repeal the tax hike on Gold Star Families established by the 2017 tax law. This bipartisan bill later became part of the House-passed SECURE Act.
- Last month, Congresswoman Luria’s Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act (H.R. 6168) became law. The new law will put more money in the pockets of American veterans by providing a cost-of-living adjustment increase on disability compensation. This increase will mirror the same cost-of-living increase for Social Security.
- Last year, she introduced the VA Website Accessibility Act (H.R. 1199). This bill would direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a study and submit a plan to Congress that would make VA websites accessible for veterans affected by blindness or hearing loss. It passed the House in October 2019 and is awaiting action in the Senate.
- To ensure blinded veterans can receive housing accommodations they need to live independently, Congresswoman Luria introduced the Housing Access for Blind Veterans Act (H.R. 3640). This bill was later included as an amendment to the Ryan Kules Specially Adaptive Housing Improvement Act, which passed the House in July.
- To help prospective student veterans decide which school is right for them, Rep. Luria introduced the Transparency for Student Veterans Act (H.R. 6157). This bill would direct the VA to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Education and the IRS to share veteran student outcome data, which would then be shared on the online GI Bill Tool.
As the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs (DAMA) Chair, Congresswoman Luria leads legislative hearings on issues that are pertinent to veterans. Most recently, she led a hearing examining the impacts of toxic exposures on our veterans. During this hearing, the Congresswoman facilitated a discussion about the health ramifications of exposure to burn pits and oil well fires.
Additionally, she has been focused on reforming and improving the compensation and pension examinations process for our veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Congresswoman recently sent a letter to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie, urging him to commit that VA will ensure all contractors provide timely, high-quality compensation and pension examinations to disabled veterans.
Congresswoman Luria remains committed to advocating for the unique needs of our servicemembers. She will continue fighting to ensure that we uphold our promise to take care of our bravest men and women.
Congresswoman Elaine Luria represents Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee, where she is the Vice Chair of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, and the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, where she serves as Chair of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee.