The selfless men and women who put on the uniform in defense of our country do so without asking anything in return. We have a responsibility to ensure wounded warriors going through the medical separation process are treated fairly with the respect and dignity they’ve earned.

Unfortunately, bureaucrats at the Department of Defense are making this process more difficult than it ever should be by pointing fingers at each other. As a result, many servicemembers are being rushed out of service without a chance to get treatment for up to one year before either becoming healthy enough for continued service or transitioning as well as possible to civilian life. 

This directly causes more homeless veterans and an increase in suicides per day. It also robs our military branches of some of its best and most experienced warfighters who could train the next generation. This weakens and degrades military readiness at a dangerous time in geopolitics that is rapidly becoming more dangerous. Not to mention the impacts on military families and caregivers.

That’s why I teamed up with Retd. Major Will Ostan on the Wounded Warrior Bill of Rights to restore accountability and implement the safeguards needed to prevent any future mistreatment during this process.

This legislation is a very simple solution to a complex problem. It returns authority over wounded warriors back to the military chain of command – where it was since George Washington was in command – and it keeps it there for the entirety of the IDES process. It also establishes additional due process protections to improve the lives of wounded warriors in the system and make sure not a single person ever slips through the cracks again.

My ultimate goal is to put the wellbeing of the servicemember at the center of every decision, and I’m hopeful this bill will do just that. I’m grateful to Major Will Ostan for his advocacy on this issue and service to our country, and I look forward to continuing our work together to get this legislation across the finish line. 

CLICK HERE to read the bill.