Serving Our Veterans

Montana is home to nearly 100,000 veterans. There is a strong tradition of service in our state, and Jon knows that one of his most important duties in the Senate is to make sure this nation lives up to the promises made to each and every one of our veterans.

Jon talks directly to Montana’s heroes, and takes their thoughts and concerns with him to Washington – and gets them real results.

As the Ranking Member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Jon has fought relentlessly to hold the VA accountable for its failures. He authored and got signed into law the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, a landmark bill making it easier for the VA to fire and hold accountable bad employees.

He demanded an investigation into wait times for veterans seeking care through VA Montana, and then successfully pressured VA leadership to send an expert team to address the issue. And when the VA didn’t pay $230,000 in backlogged claims to the Billings Mental Health Center, Tester fought back and got them to pay up.

And Robert Wilkie, the next Secretary of the VA, was recently sworn in with Jon’s strong support. Jon will work with Secretary Wilkie to hold the VA accountable to Montana’s veterans.

FIXING CHOICE

Jon is working tirelessly to fix the broken VA Choice program. Jon’s bipartisan VA MISSION Act, signed into law by President Trump, scraps the Choice program and replaces it with a more streamlined system focused on getting veterans care in their communities. Jon brought the concerns of Montana veterans directly to President Trump and his Administration, and worked with Democrats and Republicans to get this legislation signed into law.

STAFFING

Jon knows that being able to hire and retain doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals is key to getting our veterans the quality care they’ve earned, and he’s battled relentlessly to ensure the VA has the tools to do so.

He led negotiations on a bipartisan bill that included provisions he authored expanding the VA’s ability to more quickly hire for positions with a severe shortage of candidates and requiring the VA to create a database of every critical or difficult to fill vacancy, which was signed into law.

Jon has also fought tirelessly to attract medical professionals to the VA, successfully pushing to increase the VA’s limit on student loan debt repayments, creating a pilot program to repay student loans for mental health professionals, and backing a proposed VA psychiatric residency program in Montana.

INCREASED ACCESS

Jon understands that in a rural state like Montana, access to quality care is critical. That’s why he’s been relentless in his push for more VA facilities, helping secure nine new veterans clinics, vet centers, or telehealth clinics across Montana, as well as two veterans clinic expansions in Billings and Missoula. Jon has fought tirelessly to ensure veteran drug treatment courts in Great Falls, Billings, Bozeman, and Missoula get the resources they need, and to bolster programs across Montana to assist homeless veterans and their families. And after years of battling bureaucrats, Jon secured funding for a Southwest Veterans Home in Butte. Jon will continue to advocate on behalf of Montana veterans for increased access to care.

ROSENDALE’S FAILED RECORD

As a state legislator, Matt Rosendale repeatedly voted against Montana’s veterans. Rosendale’s voted against the Southwest Montana veterans home, against funding for the Columbia Falls veterans home, against scholarships for Montana Purple Heart recipients, and against home loan benefits for Montana veterans and Gold Star families. Rosendale’s record is crystal clear: he works against Montana’s veterans and is only looking out for himself.