Regional Conversations on Greater VA Services Across the Marianas

I was recently invited to provide testimony on a Guam Senate resolution seeking to establish a VA Regional Office in Guam to serve veterans throughout the Western Pacific, including the CNMI and the Freely Associated States. Last week, I provided Senator Telo Taitague with my thoughts on the resolution and shared my interest in expanding the VA's presence throughout our region. Veterans in Guam and the CNMI face many of the same challenges accessing the healthcare, benefits, and services they have earned, and I believe there is a great opportunity for our islands to work together to address them. I also emphasized that the same interest in establishing a greater VA presence in Guam exists here in the CNMI. As we consider how to expand regional services, I want to see the CNMI included in those plans, with a permanent, fully staffed VA facility of our own and greater access to VA personnel and services right here at home. Thank you to Senator Taitague for the invitation and for raising this important issue. I look forward to continuing the conversation and exploring how Guam and the CNMI can work together to better serve our veterans.