Veterans

Veterans and their families have sacrificed so much in service to our country, and we have a responsibility to ensure they receive the care, benefits, and support they have earned. 

This commitment is deeply personal to me. My father served as a Radio Communications Sergeant in Okinawa during World War II, and his military service remained one of the proudest accomplishments of his life. When he passed away, our family honored his wish to be laid to rest in a military cemetery. I carry his memory with me in my work in Congress and remain committed to ensuring that our nation’s Veterans and their loved ones receive the support they deserve. 

My office is also here to help. If you or a Veteran you know is experiencing an issue with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a military branch, or any other federal agency, please contact my staff here.

Bringing VA Health Care to the San Gabriel Valley 
After nine years without a VA health clinic in the San Gabriel Valley, I fought to help bring the VA health care back to our community through the San Gabriel Valley Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC). The SGV CBOC, located at 7 West Foothill Boulevard in Arcadia, gives local Veterans access to primary care, mental health care, telehealth, basic laboratory services, and other essential health services closer to home.

More information, including directions and appointment scheduling, for the San Gabriel Valley VA Clinic can be found here.

East Los Angeles Vet Center
Supporting our Veterans also means ensuring they can access high-quality services and support close to home. That is why I was proud to welcome the relocation of the East Los Angeles Vet Center to Monterey Park, bringing important resources directly into the San Gabriel Valley. The Vet Center provides Veterans, servicemembers, and their loved ones with a wide range of services, including:

• Counseling services tailored to the diverse backgrounds and experiences of Veterans and their loved ones;
• Domestic Violence Court Mandated Classes;
• Pathway to Citizenship Workshops;
• Referrals for addiction and substance use care, homelessness assistance, suicide prevention, and other community resources;
• A computer resource area; and
• Telehealth services.

Learn more about the Center here.

Honoring Our PACT Act
For years, Veterans were denied care and coverage for the exposure-related conditions they developed overseas while serving our country. That is why I proudly voted for the landmark Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, the largest expansion of VA health care and benefits in 30 years. The law finally allows Veterans to receive benefits from the VA for 23 toxic exposure-related conditions, including the many Veterans whose claims have been previously denied.  Since its passage in August 2022, nearly two million Veterans have received $12 billion in earned benefits.

If you believe you or someone you know may be eligible for benefits under the PACT Act, I strongly encourage you to learn more and file a claim here.

Helping Veterans Succeed After Their Service
Our obligation to servicemembers does not end when they leave active duty. I am committed to ensuring Veterans have the resources and opportunities they need to build successful careers, support their families, and start and grow businesses when they return to civilian life.

Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOCs) play an important role in that mission by providing Veterans, transitioning servicemembers, and military spouses with business training, counseling, and other resources. 

For years, the closest VBOC to the San Gabriel Valley was all the way in San Diego. That changed with the opening of the Los Angeles Regional Veterans Business Outreach Center at Long Beach City College, which provides essential resources to Veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs throughout our region. 

The Los Angeles Regional VBOC offers assistance with business planning and financial management, accessing capital and financing, marketing and outreach, and transitioning from military service into entrepreneurship through the Boots to Business program. Learn more about the LA VBOC here. 

Ending Veteran Homelessness
No Veteran who served our country should be without a safe, stable place to call home.

I am committed to addressing Veteran homelessness by supporting programs that connect Veterans with permanent housing, employment assistance, health care, reintegration services, and other resources they need to rebuild their lives. 

I have repeatedly urged Congress to provide the highest possible funding for programs such as the HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program, which combines rental assistance with VA case management and supportive services to help Veterans experiencing homelessness secure and maintain permanent housing.

I also support the Health Foundations for Homeless Veterans Act, which would allow the VA to use certain available funds to provide Veterans experiencing homelessness with critical resources such as shelter, food, clothing and blankets, hygiene products, transportation, and communication devices.

Veterans answered our country's call to serve. We must be there for them when they need us.

Fighting Back Against Cuts to Veterans’ Care and Benefits

I am continuing to fight back against the Trump administration’s harmful cuts to the VA and the unlawful termination of Veterans working throughout the federal government. These staffing reductions threaten the care, benefits, and services that millions of Veterans and their families rely on, while also targeting Veterans who chose to continue serving their country as federal employees. I have also cosponsored the Protect Veteran Jobs Act, legislation that would make Veterans who were involuntarily removed from federal civil service positions without cause beginning on January 20, 2025, eligible for reinstatement and require federal agencies to report to Congress on Veterans who have been dismissed from their workforce.

As the only psychologist in Congress, I am particularly alarmed by the consequences these workforce reductions could have for Veterans' access to mental and behavioral health care. The VA has lost hundreds of psychologists and social workers, professionals who provide critical care to Veterans struggling with PTSD, depression, substance use disorders, suicidal thoughts, and other behavioral health needs.

That is why I led 62 House Democrats in demanding answers from VA Secretary Doug Collins about the scope of these workforce challenges and the Department's efforts to ensure Veterans continue to have access to the mental health care they need.

Our nation made a promise to the men and women who served us. I will continue fighting to ensure we keep it.

Honoring Our Fallen Servicemembers 

We must never forget the servicemembers who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Among them are the 74 sailors who lost their lives aboard the USS Frank E. Evans during the Vietnam War, including 22 Californians. The sailors were killed when the USS Frank E. Evans collided with an Australian aircraft carrier during a training exercise in the South China Sea in 1969. Because the tragedy occurred outside the designated Vietnam combat zone, the names of these 74 sailors have never been included on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Their sacrifice is no less worthy of remembrance. That is why I joined Representative Mike Flood (R-NE) in introducing the bipartisan USS Frank E. Evans Act to add the names of these 74 sailors to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial alongside their fellow servicemembers.

Our country has a solemn responsibility to remember those who gave their lives in service to our nation, and I will continue working to ensure these 74 sailors receive the recognition they deserve.