VeteranJaime

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) continues its leadership role in shaping policy that directly impacts America’s veterans and their families. During a recent Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs hearing, VFW National Legislative Service Director Kristina Keenan submitted testimony for the record addressing 25 pending bills—each with significant implications for veteran care, benefits, and economic opportunity.

Keenan’s testimony reaffirmed the VFW’s support for legislation aligned with its top priorities, including reducing fraud in VA disability claims and modernizing the appeals process to ensure veterans receive timely and fair outcomes. She emphasized that modernization is not just about efficiency—it’s about restoring trust in the system that serves those who served.

Among the most compelling points of her testimony was a call to expand and improve benefits for survivors of veterans who succumb to rapidly progressing terminal illnesses. Keenan urged Congress to strengthen health care programs for women veterans and to increase access to cutting‑edge medical treatments and technologies for veterans living with spinal cord, brain, bowel, and bladder injuries. These advancements, she noted, represent the next frontier in veteran care—where innovation meets compassion.

Keenan also highlighted the urgent need to remove barriers limiting access to key economic opportunity programs, ensuring veterans can fully participate in the workforce and pursue entrepreneurship without bureaucratic obstacles. Her message was clear: veterans deserve systems that empower, not hinder, their post‑service success.

The hearing underscored the VFW’s ongoing commitment to advocacy that is both strategic and deeply personal. Every policy discussed represents a veteran’s lived experience—a survivor’s struggle, a caregiver’s burden, or a family’s hope for better support. The VFW’s testimony serves as a reminder that legislative progress is not abstract; it’s a matter of dignity and justice for those who have borne the cost of service.

Read the full testimony or watch the hearing, which begins at the 9:20 mark, to see how the VFW continues to champion reforms that strengthen the veteran community.