On Friday, Rep. Pete Aguilar convened his Veterans Advisory Board to address health care concerns, and specifically, the relationship and responsiveness of federal agencies to Inland Empire veterans.

“Some of the most common concerns I’ve heard from veterans, both on my advisory board and in casework that comes through my office, are connected to the relationship between federal agencies and our veterans. Whether we are talking about completing record requests or the recent National Guard reimbursement issue, these problems seem to boil down to communication between federal agencies and our nation’s veterans,” said Rep. Aguilar. He added, “With the help of my advisory board and Congressional action, I believe these are issues we can address and work together to solve.”

Friday was Rep. Aguilar’s latest meeting with his Veterans Advisory Board, which has previously met to address veteran health care, homelessness, and employment. Earlier this year, Rep. Aguilar introduced the VA Accountability for Location of Records (VALOR) Act to improve accountability and responsiveness at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Rep. Aguilar has also collaborated with Republicans and Democrats to put veterans back to work, supported legislation to confront the dangerous suicide rate among female veterans, and helped return federal funds to combat veteran homelessness in San Bernardino County. Rep. Aguilar’s bill can be read here, and to learn more about how he’s fighting for veterans, visit his website here.