{"id":57868,"date":"2019-04-10T12:10:50","date_gmt":"2019-04-10T12:10:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/04\/10\/air-force-vets-next-push-in-congress-getting-women-to-sign-up-for-va-benefits\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:32:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:32:31","slug":"air-force-vets-next-push-in-congress-getting-women-to-sign-up-for-va-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2019\/04\/10\/air-force-vets-next-push-in-congress-getting-women-to-sign-up-for-va-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"The new push for getting more women to sign up for VA benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pennsylvania Rep. <a href=\"http:\/\/caucus.militarytimes.com\/speaker\/chrissy-houlahan\/#.XK3br1VKiUk\" target=_blank>Chrissy Houlahan<\/a> admits she never even looked into her veterans benefits until she ran for Congress. \u201cI just never thought that I should.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now the former Air Force captain wants to make sure other women veterans don\u2019t wait that long. She\u2019s pushing officials from the Army and Navy implement a successful Air Force program to increase awareness of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/02\/28\/is-va-spending-enough-on-womens-health-programs\/\" target=\"_blank\">gender-specific health care programs<\/a> for service members, linking them with resources during a critical transition time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The effort \u2014 which has the support of 33 other members of congress, including 28 fellow Democrats \u2014 is a small but significant step in improving the military\u2019s approach to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/01\/23\/commission-eyes-adding-women-to-the-military-draft-or-dumping-the-system-altogether\/\" target=\"_blank\">its changing demographics<\/a>. The first-year lawmaker is hoping that while she pushes for more ambitious reforms in the coming months, modest moves like this can have significant results in years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/11\/21\/veterans-in-the-116th-congress-by-the-numbers\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"195\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_18319598170965.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Veterans in the 116th Congress, by the numbers<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">When the next Congress convenes in January, 95 veterans will be among those serving in the House and Senate.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Houlahan sat down with Military Times recently to discuss her experience in Congress as one of the new class of women veterans elected to office (at seven, it\u2019s the largest in congressional history) and her goals as a member of the House Armed Services Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Portions of this interview have been edited for length and clarity.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>How much work needs to be done to bring awareness to women veterans issues? <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s not a coincidence that you see a lot more women veterans in Congress right now than you have before. I was at the earlier edge of that, I\u2019m one of the oldest new members who have a military background. I\u2019m the only (female) veteran that I\u2019m aware of who is a pre-9\/11 veteran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I think you have this generation of women veterans who were able to take advantage of some of the loosening of regs and restrictions, and have a real career. That has qualified them in some ways to be here now, the right timing come into Congress now because their record of service was compelling enough for people to vote for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So now, these women of Congress with service, we come from all over the country. We were the tip of the spear in many ways, and the demographics of our military is changing pretty rapidly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This (effort) is about a program the Air Force tried \u2026 and saw it was successful in motivating women to access veterans benefits. The Army has tried it in a smaller situation. This is just an idea to continue that thing that worked, and statistically reduces suicides, definitely increases the number of people who are accessing benefits as women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And as (women) become more and more of the veterans population, that\u2019s just common sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Is the military doing enough for women? <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When I was active-duty, I wanted to be a pilot, got an active-duty pilot slot, but decided not to take it. My path was different, because I would have been doing things behind the scenes in piloting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But now you can see Mikie (Sherrill, a New Jersey representative), a helicopter pilot, and Amy (McGrath, a Kentucky House candidate), a jet pilot. You can see the progression of the doors opening. It\u2019s not just that our faces have always been there. What we got to do has changed, even within the 10 years I left the military and they joined. They had different career opportunities than I had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s because what the women are doing is fundamentally different than what we were doing before.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/11\/08\/as-more-female-vets-head-to-congress-lawmakers-update-efforts-to-change-vas-motto\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4813525.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">As more female vets head to Congress, there\u2019s a new push to change VA\u2019s male-focused motto<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Critics argue that the current department motto ignores the contributions of women in the military.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>You\u2019ve promised to be an advocate on military spouse and family issues. How do you make sure to keep the focus on them?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When I separated, one of the bigger reasons was because I could not see a path where that (career) was sustainable. Thoughts about what a spouse looks like (in the military) should change, because a spouse isn\u2019t going to be just like my grandmother \u2014 Navy wife \u2014 or my mom \u2014 Navy wife. That was their career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We need to be thoughtful about how we treat spouses, regardless of their gender. They need to be make sure they can have livelihoods and careers and individual thoughts and feelings too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019m on the readiness subcommittee. It\u2019s deliberate, as someone who has served and whose parents and grandparents served, that I think these issues of readiness include families, include moms and dads and kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Your district is the first in Pennsylvania for defense contracting dollars. How does that influence your priorities in Congress?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I lived in my county in Pennsylvania for 25 years, and I\u2019m a former member of the military, and I had no idea there was that much connection. It\u2019s supply chain business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the civilian side, what I did was growing small businesses to mid-sized businesses, and I was the operations officer. So, logistics, manufacturing, production, that\u2019s what I did. So this is why I think it\u2019s awesome to be on the small business side of things too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You look out my window at home, and you see some small businesses and mid-sized businesses that are supplying not just the defense industry, but all industries. And so whatever we\u2019re looking at \u2014 cyber issues, procurement issues \u2014 as it applies to the military side of things, you\u2019re probably seeing the same problems that small businesses and mid-sized businesses are seeing on the non-military side of things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>How familiar are members on Congress with how VA and the military works?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We need more military members in Congress. It has been significantly better historically than it is now. We need them there not only because they have first have experience serving and understand the mechanisms of our budget, but we also need them there because frankly they are team players and problem solvers in ways other people aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We need more women in Congress for similar reasons. We need more diversity in Congress in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Have you had a chance to talk to veterans across the aisle in Congress? <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I helped form a new caucus. It\u2019s called For Country, it\u2019s a bipartisan, veterans-based caucus. And we are committed to working across the aisle on things we can agree on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of those things is the importance of national service, not just military but Teach for America, City Year, Peace Corps and those kinds of things that bring people together and advance the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019re also committed to sit down and talk through ideas. If I have a legislative idea that may not be on Armed Services or Foreign Affairs, we can say, \u2018Hey, would you be interested in sponsoring this with me?\u2019 It\u2019s a conduit to potential co-sponsorships, and at least we have a relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I am proud to help lead the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/ForCountry?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ForCountry<\/a> Caucus alongside my colleagues <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepJimmyPanetta?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@RepJimmyPanetta<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepDonBacon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@RepDonBacon<\/a>, &amp; @RepMichaelWaltz. We are a bipartisan group of veterans determined to place country over politics and make progress for the both the communities we serve and our country. 1\/<\/p>&mdash; Chrissy Houlahan (@RepHoulahan) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepHoulahan\/status\/1110533087501393920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 26, 2019<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pennsylvania Rep. Chrissy Houlahan wants the military to expand transition programs to make more women aware of their available resources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":93025,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":19,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[100,12,25,68,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3334],"class_list":["post-57868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"WEUO3XHMOFF6HHJ3V3FLCGPYJU","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/04\/10\/air-force-vets-next-push-in-congress-getting-women-to-sign-up-for-va-benefits\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The new push for getting more women to sign up for VA benefits - Army Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pennsylvania Rep. Chrissy Houlahan wants the military to expand transition programs to make more women aware of their available resources.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The new push for getting more women to sign up for VA benefits\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pennsylvania Rep. Chrissy Houlahan wants the military to expand transition programs to make more women aware of their available resources.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2019\/04\/10\/air-force-vets-next-push-in-congress-getting-women-to-sign-up-for-va-benefits\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Army Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-04-10T12:10:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T09:32:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Leo Shane III\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Leo Shane III\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/10\\\/air-force-vets-next-push-in-congress-getting-women-to-sign-up-for-va-benefits\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/10\\\/air-force-vets-next-push-in-congress-getting-women-to-sign-up-for-va-benefits\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"The new push for getting more women to sign up for VA benefits\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2019-04-10T12:10:50+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T09:32:31+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/10\\\/air-force-vets-next-push-in-congress-getting-women-to-sign-up-for-va-benefits\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 1122,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/10\\\/air-force-vets-next-push-in-congress-getting-women-to-sign-up-for-va-benefits\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP_19093658687914.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Pentagon &amp; 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