Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #WomenVetsTaskForce

To the women veterans and their families watching at home: you are not alone.

The #WomenVetsTaskForce is here for you during this uncertain time and will continue fighting for you to make sure you get the care you need and deserve.

Learn more about what the #WomenVetsTaskForce is doing to ensure that ALL women veterans can access the care they need in a safe and welcoming environment.

veterans.house.gov/women-veterans…

If you or a veteran you know is experiencing a #MentalHealth crisis, resources are available:

📞1-800-273-8255 & press 1

💻VeteransCrisisLine.net/chat

📱Text 838255

Read 3 tweets

VA is one of the top service providers in the world for survivors of Military Sexual Trauma but veterans don’t always know what resources are available. That’s why @VetAffairsDems and the #WomenVetsTaskForce are examining VA’s support for #MST survivors. bit.ly/36ZZZTf

Sexual harassment and assault is widespread in the military-- 1 in 4 women veterans have experienced sexual harassment, denigration of service, or other hostile behavior from male veterans at VA facilities and many face retaliation for reporting. hsrd.research.va.gov/publications/v…

VA is supposed to be a safe place for veterans to receive treatment, but too often women veterans face catcalls and harassment within VA facilities. Read one woman veteran’s experience here: jezebel.com/he-was-implyin…

Committee Chairman @RepMarkTakano and @RepBrownley issued statements following a flippant response from @SecWilkie’s regarding allegations of sexual assault of a @VetAffairsDems staffer at a VA facility, → veterans.house.gov/news/press-rel…

@RepMarkTakano @RepBrownley @SecWilkie “To cast doubt on credible, serious, and concerning claims about how women are treated at VA is outrageous. Women veterans are already hesitant to come forward and report sexual harassment & sexual assault because they fear being dismissed & retaliated against.” - @RepMarkTakano

@RepMarkTakano @RepBrownley @SecWilkie “If we’ve learned anything from the #MeToo movement, it is that being heard and being supported for coming forward is an essential first step to stopping sexual assault and to ending the unfortunate culture that allows it.” - #WomenVetsTaskForce Chair @RepBrownley

Read 5 tweets

Today, just one day after #VeteransDay, @VetAffairsDems will be on the House floor with another 9 veterans bills including the Protect the GI Bill Act & the #DeborahSampsonAct-- the most comprehensive bill package for women veterans in over a decade. #WomenVetsTaskForce

With the Protect the GI Bill Act, @VetAffairsDems is working to protect student veterans from predatory for-profit schools. “This bipartisan package will help protect veterans’ GI Bill benefits, as well as the time and effort they invest into their education.” - @RepMikeLevin

@RepMikeLevin The #WomenVeteransTaskForce led by @RepBrownley is working to show women veterans that they belong. The women who serve our country are still often treated as second-class servicemembers & veterans-- the #DeborahSampsonAct will work to rectify that.

.@RepEdCase joined @VetAffairsDems and @HouseVetAffairs for a Veterans Town Hall at the Oahu Veterans Center— and everyone came ready with questions!

The biggest concern on their minds: veteran suicide. Chairman @RepMarkTakano made suicide prevention his number one priority this Congress— and after passing 5 bills, @VetAffairsDems is just getting started.

Veterans also asked what the Committee is doing to support women veterans. Under Chairwoman @RepBrownley’s leadership, the #WomenVetsTaskForce is working to identify the unique needs our 2 million women veterans face and ensure they get the care they’ve earned.

With veteran homelessness, suicide prevention, and women veterans on their minds, Members had a working lunch with VA leadership and staff in Hawaii.

#WomenVetsTaskForce Chairwoman @RepBrownley was quick to advocate for Hawaii’s 12,000 women veterans. Her Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act would help expand access to birth control for women veterans.

With so many suicides on VA property this year, Chairman @RepMarkTakano made addressing veteran suicide his number one priority. He checked in on VA’s progress toward implementing the IG’s recommendations on the islands— there’s still more work to do.

Tomorrow the #WomenVetsTaskForce, led by @RepBrownley will hold an open roundtable addressing Military Sexual Trauma (#MST) in the military and veterans communities. veterans.house.gov/events/hearing…

@RepBrownley At least 1 in 4 women and 1 in 100 men who serve in the military experience MST, which includes both sexual harassment and sexual assault.
nytimes.com/interactive/20…

@RepBrownley Through outreach and oversight, the Task Force has learned that the actual numbers are likely far higher. A 2016 report by the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs found that over 59% of women veterans in the state had experienced #MST.

Read 5 tweets

"For far too long, Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs have overlooked the unique barriers that women veterans face after leaving military service." - @RepMikeLevin, at today's Economic Opportunity Subcommittee hearing: "Economic Well-being of Women Veterans".

@RepMikeLevin Women veterans showcase a contradiction: they’re both the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs and have the fewest resources available to them. Our #WomenVetsTaskForce is working to change that. inc.com/kimberly-weisu…

@RepMikeLevin It’s only fitting that our hearing this morning on the economic well-being of women veterans features an all-woman panel sharing the experiences of women veterans. Thank you @studentvets,
@FinalSaluteInc, @Service2School, @IVMFSyracuseU, & @ffWomenWarriors!

Today marks #WomenVeteransDay in several states. OTD in 1948, President Truman signed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act, making women permanent members of the armed forces the #WomenVetsTaskForce, led by @RepBrownley, advocates for the 2 mil living women veterans.

@RepBrownley The 68 members & participants of the Task Force are working to increase the visibility of #WomenVeterans, promote inclusivity, and ensure equitable access to healthcare, benefits, education and economic opportunities. So far members have introduced 10 bills. 👀

@RepBrownley @RepBrownley intro'd the Building Supportive Networks for Women Veterans Act, which would permanently authorize an existing @DeptVetAffairs pilot program offering counseling and support retreat programs for #WomenVets and expand the program nationwide.
juliabrownley.house.gov/brownley-intro…

Read 13 tweets

Today @VetAffairsDems launched the #WomenVetsTaskForce led by @RepBrownley to highlight the unique issues women veterans face accessing VA care, benefits, and resources.

@RepBrownley “By launching the bipartisan Women Veterans Task Force we can begin to shed light on the issues the more than two million US women veterans face and prepare VA for the future.” - @RepMarkTakano

@RepBrownley @RepMarkTakano #WomenVetsTaskForce is determined to reshape the conversation so that women veterans are not only always included, but cared for and supported.