Opinion Pieces

Read Rep. Bergman’s full opinion piece in the Washington Reporter here or below:

On Independence Day, many people will mark the birth of our great nation with cookouts, beach days, or fireworks — but not as many will reflect on the profound sacrifices of our veterans, without whom we wouldn’t have any freedom to celebrate. There certainly should be time spent with family and friends enjoying the summer heat this July 4, but there should also be reflection and gratitude poured out for those who serve and have served our country. Without their immense sacrifices and undeterred bravery, the United States would be nothing more than a failed experiment in liberty.

Our veterans deserve so much more than one day of national recognition a year — they deserve every benefit and ounce of appreciation that we can possibly extend to them. It’s my greatest honor in Congress to be able to thank and fight for those who served our country. From greeting Honor Flights and sharing conversations with those great men and women to passing vital legislation that streamlines healthcare or expands their benefits, I exist to serve our veterans.

One bill that I was proud to introduce was Gerald’s Law. The legislation, H.R. 234, was inspired by one of my constituents, a veteran who was denied certain posthumous assistance for his family. Gerald Elliot was an Army veteran who valiantly served our country and became a hospice patient at the Oscar Johnson Veteran Affairs (VA) Hospital in Iron Mountain, Michigan during his final days.

Opting to leave the hospital while still undergoing hospice care, Gerald returned home to be with his loved ones and later passed away there peacefully. Because he chose to be surrounded by his family and friends outside of the VA hospital, his family was denied the burial allowance benefit that was rightfully his.

Denise Formolo, the Veterans Service Officer for Dickinson County, shared Gerald’s story with me and informed me of the terrible situation that his surviving family was subjected to. That’s when I learned of a loophole that denies certain terminally ill veterans their VA burial allowance if they do not pass away at a VA facility.

The “Non-Service Connected Burial and Plot” benefit from the VA covers up to approximately $800 in burial and funeral expenses for the surviving family of a veteran if they are hospitalized at the VA at their time of death. For those like Gerald, however, the money is withheld for choosing to pass away in the comfort of their own home in the presence of the ones they love.

I’m determined to end that wrongful discrimination. Last year, “Gerald’s Law,” which I introduced alongside Democratic Rep. Colin Allred passed the House of Representatives as part of a package of bipartisan bills included in H.R. 1669, the VET-TEC Authorization Act. The bill will close that loophole, expanding eligibility and ensuring that no veteran is forced to choose between a benefit and the embrace of loved ones at home in their final days.

It’s heartening to see that this is a bipartisan issue. It was one of those rare bills that received such resounding support from my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, because whenever a veteran is denied their rightful assistance, gratitude, or honor, Congress must rally together to fix that. No one who volunteered to give their last full measure of devotion to our nation should ever have to sacrifice the benefits they’ve earned through the blood, sweat, and tears they poured out for us.

I urge my colleagues in the Senate to take up the mantle and pass this vital legislation, and I urge all Americans to ponder the full meaning of Independence Day this week. Our freedoms were not free. They were paid for — and are continually sustained by — the men and women who have given life and limb so that we might have something to celebrate.