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Virginia Senators Welcome Virginia Vets To Washington

Michael Pope

Veterans from across Virginia were on Capitol Hill this week, meeting with senators over coffee and doughnuts.

Rob Jones is a Marine from Vienna who has become somewhat of a celebrity. That’s because he ran 31 marathons in 31 days, culminating on Veterans Day.

“I was raising money for three different veterans charities, the Semper Fi Fund, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and the Coalition to Salute American Heroes," Jones explained. "And they’re all just organizations that help veterans that have been wounded get back on their feet and find their new path.”’

Jones was one of hundreds of veterans who came here, to the Russell Senate Office Building to meet with Senator Mark Warner and Senator Tim Kaine for an annual appreciation breakfast. For Air Force vet Thomas Bandzul of Burke, it’s an opportunity to talk to the senators about the VA appeals system.

“The legal process that veterans have to go through to get legitimate disability claims approved is not only punitive and adversarial. It’s chaotic,” Bandzul said.

Bandzul says the solution is to have an administrative judge hear the appeals rather than an appeals board. Other vets here want to make sure health-insurance premiums don’t go up and mental health services are more available for service members returning home from combat zones.

This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.

Michael Pope is an author and journalist who lives in Old Town Alexandria.