Veterans and Defense

My support for the members of our military does not end when their service is complete. Colorado is home to one of the largest veteran populations in the Nation—many of whom reside in rural areas, and I will always take steps to ensure our Nation's veterans and their families receive the benefits they earned.

Unfortunately, there have been numerous lies and attacks on my record. Here are the facts about my support for America's heroes. 

• I passed six amendments through the House with bipartisan support to increase funding for veterans’ care by $13,000,000.00 by redirecting funds from the bureaucracy to funding for veterans.
• I voted to increase veterans’ benefits by over $1.5 billion more than the discretionary funding Democrats had appropriated last year.
• I cosponsored H.J. Res 44, which protects millions of veterans and gun owners by nullifying the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' (ATF’s) unconstitutional pistol brace ban rule.
• I transferred $2 million from Health and Human Services General Department Management for the purchase and implementation of telehealth services to improve health care coordination for rural veterans between rural providers and the Department of Veterans Affairs
• I helped lead a successful pressure campaign to restart Honor Flight Services for our veterans visiting their memorials in Washington D.C. 
• I redirected funding to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals from VA bureaucracy to reduce its backlog and process veterans’ claims more quickly.
• I redirected funding from VA bureaucracy to VA IT systems to assist with reducing the veterans’ disability claims backlog.

Here are several examples of successful casework my team and I have worked for veterans and their families:

• I was honored to recognize one of the many veterans who risked their lives for our country with a Purple Heart. For years, Sergeant First Class William Montgomery had been trying to obtain the Purple Heart for injuries he sustained during Operation Iraqi Freedom. It wasn’t until he contacted my office in July that we got the ball rolling. The typical Purple Heart approval process takes upwards of a year; however, I made this one a top priority and got him approved for the award within just two months of contacting my office.
• A veteran’s family contacted me regarding the VA’s very slow reaction to their doctor’s request for the veteran’s immediate open-heart surgery.  We got the veteran into surgery in three days. The doctor and family indicated the veteran could have died had they waited longer for surgery.
• Due to red-tape and staffing issues at the VA—including no one answering the phones—a Silver Star veteran had gone 14 months waiting for an authorization for care. Within days of opening the case, the veteran’s condition turned to an emergency. We were able to escalate the case through the VA-VISN, and stayed in contact with the veteran over the weekend so he could get immediate help.
• A provider for bi-monthly veterans’ PTSD group counseling had been a repeat no-show for a year and attendance dwindled as fellow veterans struggled to counsel one-another.  We drew attention to the problem which is now corrected.
• A veteran walked into my office in extreme distress with tens of thousands in unpaid medical bills for life-saving emergency medical care which the VA was supposed to cover. He was being harassed by bill collectors and reported the VA denied coverage because he didn’t seek care at his local hospital. The rural hospital didn’t have the needed expertise and doctors from both Albuquerque and Denver were involved in the case which created confusion on paper. We contacted the VA to put the pieces together for justification of coverage, and the veteran’s bills were paid.
• My office fought Navy bureaucracy to help reinstate a medically discharged veteran who subsequently recovered from his medical issues and was eligible to reenlist.
• I was contacted by a veteran who had been previously denied a claim for an increase in benefits and filed multiple appeals as his chronic condition had quickly been deteriorating his quality of life. At this time the veteran was very close to losing his home as he could not work or perform daily tasks. We were able to get the veteran in contact with the Loan Guarantee Department at the VA to assist with the veteran’s mortgage while we waited for a new medical appointment to document the deterioration of the veteran’s medical condition and the determination from those findings. Within a few months, we were able to help facilitate the increase of monthly benefits well over the expected amount as well as more than doubling the amount of back pay the veteran was expected to receive. 
• I was contacted by a veteran who was not receiving his retirement or benefits almost a year after retiring from the Navy. We inquired with the Department of the Navy and were able to get his retirement services approved and enrolled in benefits while ensuring the veteran received back pay for the year that he did not receive his retirement pay.
• I was contacted by the daughter of a Korean War Veteran that had recently passed away and due to the lack of paperwork, the family was unable to hold a funeral service with military honors and reached out to our office to get his service records to place a plaque on his headstone so he could receive the honor he deserved.  Due to the closures of the National Personnel Records Center due to COVID-19, this request was backlogged as no paper records were being retrieved. After almost a full year, we were able to obtain the veteran’s service records for the family to ensure this Korean War Veteran will be honored.
• A widow contacted me and was very concerned that she would not receive any funds to assist her with living expenses. She had applied to the VA for benefits but had not heard anything for three months.  Within a month after contacting my office she had received the paperwork and funds.
• A widow contacted me as she was to receive lump sum spousal benefits and had waited fourth months and not heard anything from the VA.  Within a month of contacting me, she received the lump sum payment.    

If you are a veteran in need of assistance, or if you know of a veteran in need of assistance, please contact my office, and we will get to work on your behalf. My have has returned over $603,000 directly to veterans in Colorado’s Third Congressional District.

My office has also hosted over 233 mobile office hours in every county in the District, helped over 2,716 people - many of whom were veterans having issues with the VA - and returned over $5,585,510.31 to constituents.

Armed Forces

Our men and women in uniform put everything on the line to defend this great country and our freedoms. They deserve the best care that America has to offer. I support providing our armed forces with the resources they need to accomplish their missions and defend the Constitution.

Under the previous administration, we rebuilt our military, crushed terrorist organizations, and stood up to our adversaries by ensuring American dominance in the sea, air, land, and even space by establishing the U.S. Space Force. I am fighting to keep the military strong and to counter rising threats from terrorists, China, Iran, Russia, Afghanistan, and North Korea.

I voted for the largest military pay raise in 20 years. The FY24 NDAA contains enormous wins for national security and military families.

• I secured $80 million to fund the Iron Dome, the air defense system of our key national security ally, Israel.
• My legislation that orders 80 F-35 aircraft to adequately supply our armed forces was signed into law.
• I worked day and night to ensure that U.S. Space Command remained in Colorado. 1,600 jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars were at risk of leaving Colorado if Space Command moved.
• I redirected $3 million from other wasteful spending to increase funding for Counter Narcotics Support to enhance DOD’s role in countering the flow of illicit fentanyl and synthetic opioids.
• I redirected $3 million from other wasteful spending in the bill to increase funding for the National Guard Counterdrug Program to train and equip our servicemembers to transnational criminal organizations and prevent the flow of illicit fentanyl and synthetic opioids into our communities.
• I redirected $5 million from wasteful spending to fund Navy and Marine procurement of MK107 cartridges.

Additionally, I support the next generation of rising military leaders. If you know of or if you are a high school student looking to serve our country at one of the military service academies, please apply for an academy nomination from my office.