FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 14, 2014

Contact: Emmanuel Garcia, (956) 459-8498, press@leticiavandeputte.com


Leticia Van de Putte speaks at Justice-Involved Veterans Conference

San Antonio, TX Senator Leticia Van de Putte spoke at the fifth annual Justice-
Involved Veterans Conference hosted by the Texas Veterans Commission and the Texas
Department of Health Services.

Senator Van de Putte issued the following statement:

It was an honor to have been invited to speak to and with veterans and their supporters
at this event. Veterans and veterans issues have always had a special place in my heart: I
have been a member of the Senate Veteran Affairs and Military Installations committee
since 1999 and the chair since 2003. It is so incredibly important to both veterans and the
community at large that we continue to come together to find new ways to support our
veterans, who have given so much to protect our freedom.

BACKGROUND: The state stepped in 2012 when a VAMI Committee hearing revealed
that more than 68,000 veterans in Texas had claims that were backlogged at VA. Van de
Putte worked with Texas leadership to dedicate state resources to address this federal
problem. Because of the hard work of the Texas Veterans Commission, now the backlog
is down to less than 27,000.

###