Colorado is home to over 400,000 veterans, and Michael is committed to making our state the best place for servicemembers, veterans, and their families to work, live, and retire. Michael believes veterans deserve timely access to high-quality care in the manner that makes sense for them. Too often, veterans are prevented from accessing their full benefits because of outdated regulations and an unaccountable bureaucracy. Michael has worked across the aisle to introduce common sense reforms, making it easier for veterans and their families to receive the care they earned.

Michael worked with his colleagues from Colorado to create a program that allows veterans who live more than 40 miles from a clinic to receive their care at non-VA medical clinics. When he heard complaints that health care providers in the program were encountering reimbursement delays, Michael successfully lobbied for the elimination of a regulation causing the hold-up, expediting payment to providers.

Michael also has partnered with Colorado lawmakers to ensure that the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in Aurora was completed and that future VA construction projects are effectively managed. He has introduced bipartisan legislation to change the culture at the VA, give employees tools to punish wrongdoing, and strengthen protections for whistleblowers.

Michael has consistently supported measures to address the challenges servicemembers face, including the transition from military service to civilian life. One of his top priorities is ensuring that servicemembers and their families have the health care resources they need, including mental health support. He supported historic bipartisan legislation to expand Department of Veterans Affairs health care eligibility to over 3.5 million toxic-exposed veterans. Michael has also introduced legilsation to address military suicide rates, help spouses of active duty service members save for retirement, protect veterans from housing discrimination, better support military families by tackling the military childcare crisis and improve access to post-9/11 G.I. Bill and other education benefits.  Michael will fight any VA recommendations that diminish Colorado veterans’ ability to access quality health care in a timely and convenient manner.