[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 8 (Thursday, January 12, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H397]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IMPROVING CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR VETERANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Yoho) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, today I will reintroduce the WINGMAN Act, a 
vital veterans' bill that will expedite the claims process for veterans 
who come to our congressional offices seeking assistance with their 
benefit claims. The current process leaves thousands of veterans and 
their families remaining in limbo awaiting resolution on their claims. 
The status quo is unacceptable, and it must change.
  No servicemember should have to wait to receive benefits they have 
more than earned. This ends with the passage of the WINGMAN Act, which 
removes the middle man and allows staff to access these records 
directly, after obtaining a privacy release form without having to wait 
on the VA bureaucracy. I think if we just listen, this is about 
customer service. Yes, they are constituents, but they are also 
customers. Every Member of this Congress--all 535 Members--represents 
approximately 700,000 constituents, and I like to think that we are in 
the customer service business as is the VA, the Veterans 
Administration.
  If we can't service our customers, where else can they go?
  Last Congress, WINGMAN passed this House unanimously. It passed the 
Veterans' Affairs Committee unanimously, but it was held up by one 
Senator who thought he know more than the 435 Members of this body and 
that he knew more than the Veterans' Affairs Committee. Fortunately, 
that Senator from Nevada is no longer here, and we are resubmitting 
this. I am hopeful that this Congress--the Members of this Chamber--
will, once again, reform the veterans' claims process and that our 
colleagues in the upper Chamber will as well.
  Before I close, I would also like to take a moment to recognize 
Representatives Rodney Davis of Illinois, Kyrsten Sinema, and John 
Delaney for being coleads on this bill. All three of my colleagues have 
demonstrated their commitment to fighting for our veterans every day of 
every year that they have served in Congress.
  We have right now right over 150 cosponsors of this bill, and it is a 
privilege to have their support. I thank them for helping to lead the 
charge to enact this change and others that are so desperately needed 
to better assist veterans and their families. Without their support, 
WINGMAN would not have the broad, bipartisan support that it does now. 
I urge the remainder of our colleagues to support WINGMAN as well. Let 
our Nation's veterans know that we've got their six.

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