Today, the Senate unanimously passed the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill, 93-0. Included in the bill was the “Wounded Warrior Employment Improvement Act of 2015,” which was originally introduced by Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in late September and would require the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) to publish an action plan for improving the VA’s Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment program (VR&E).

“I am incredibly happy that the Senate came together today, prioritizing those who are willing to sacrifice for our freedoms by unanimously passing legislation to provide the funding and resources necessary to support our military and veterans,” said Senator Tillis. “I am pleased that the managers of this appropriations bill deemed the legislation I introduced with Senator Brown to be an important component in providing our troops with the resources they need both during and after their service. Support and counsel for our wounded warriors is critical as they transition back into civilian life, and the Wounded Warrior Employment Improvement Act will help ensure the VA has the resources they need to improve training and rehabilitation.”

As members of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Senator Tillis and Brown’s legislation included in today’s MilCon/VA bill is the third piece of bipartisan legislation the Senators have co-introduced to help support our veterans. In May, they introduced the Fry Scholarship Enhancement Act of 2015 that would ensure that surviving spouses and children of servicemembers who have died in the line of duty receive the same educational benefits as the family members of servicemembers who elect to transfer their benefits. They also introduced the Veterans Priority Enrollment Act of 2015 in May so that veterans, students serving in the armed forces, and their qualifying dependents, can take full advantage of the federal education benefits they have earned for themselves and their families.