U.S. Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, and Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., who serve on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, have introduced legislation to improve access to education and employment benefits for disabled veterans.
The Ensuring Benefits for Disabled Veterans Act would address a cumbersome rule in federal law that creates delays in connecting veterans with benefits.
The Veteran Readiness and Employment program helps qualifying veterans with service-connected disabilities with job training, starting a business, independent living services, education, employment accommodations and resume development.
Under current law, veterans who use GI Bill education benefits before connecting with the VRE program can be prevented from accessing their full benefits for years.
King’s legislation ensures that veterans are not penalized based on the order in which they use their earned education benefits.
“This simple fix will make it easier for veterans to access benefits they have earned, making sure they can learn the skills they need to transition to the next phase in their life, beyond the military, “ said King.
King said Maine has one of the highest rates of military families and veterans per capita. Last year, King was honored by the Disabled American Veterans as its 2025 Legislator of the Year.