WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and John Cornyn (R-TX) are introducing bipartisan legislation to protect a higher-quality veterans’ experience with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Improving Veteran Experience Act would lock into law the Veterans Experience Office (VEO), making it an official fixture to help meet the increased demand for services.

Founded in 2015, the VEO collects veterans’ feedback through surveys and uses that data to continuously improve the VA’s website and other resources used by veterans interacting with the VA. Currently, the VEO is not formally established within the VA, so this service’s long term future is at risk of being cut or changed despite its usefulness to the veteran community.  In order to protect the office from being disbanded or reconsidered by future administrations or Congressional sessions, the Improving Veteran Experience Act would codify the VEO into law so it can continue to provide consistent and quality care into the future. 

“When I was Governor, I would regularly call our constituent relations hotlines to make sure we were delivering for Maine people; my thinking is that customer service doesn’t have to be a private sector mentality. Our veterans consistently and courageously answered the call of duty when serving and we owe it to them to have the VA positioned to help them access their hard-earned benefits,” said Senator King. “Establishment of a Veterans Experience Office (VEO) is foundational to helping our veterans get the proper care and support they deserve from the VA. The bipartisan Improving Veteran Experience Act will lock in the VEO and better guarantee we continue to deliver on our promise to veterans — whether it’s 20 days after rejoining civilian life or 20 years.”

“The brave men and women who have selflessly served our country deserve the highest-quality health care, services and benefits,” said Senator Cornyn. “The Veteran’s Experience Office helps the VA deliver tailored, efficient customer service to our veterans, and I’m glad to support this legislation to make it permanent.”

Representing one of the states with the highest rates of veterans per capita, Senator King is a staunch advocate for America’s servicemembers and veterans. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, he has worked to ensure that veterans have access to jobs and training after separating from military service. He has previously cosponsored bipartisan legislation to provide veterans with job opportunities in the trucking industry. In 2024, Congress passed Senator King’s bipartisan legislation to improve veterans’ access to health care and benefits. He has been among the Senate’s most prominent voices on the need to address veteran suicide, and has repeatedly pressed for action from top Department of Defense (DoD) officials on this issue. Last summer, Senator King introduced the Lethal Means Safe Storage for Veteran Suicide Prevention Act to help reduce suicides among veterans by providing firearm lockboxes and bolstering mental health training for VA caregivers. He also contributes to the Veterans History Project, a Library of Congress initiative to collect and preserve the stories of American veterans; he most recently interviewed a 101-year-old World War II veteran from Millinocket, Maine. Senator King uses this interview series to learn and share the stories of the lives, service and sacrifices of Maine’s veteran community.

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