Plumb Rolls Out Plan to Better Serve Veterans Living in Rural Areas

John Plumb

HORNELL – Democratic Congressional Candidate John Plumb of Lakewood has announced his policy priorities for “Keeping Our Promise to Rural Veterans and Their Families.”

During a campaign stop at the Hornell VFW on Wednesday, Plumb rolled out his plan to better serve the 5.3 million veterans living in rural communities across the U.S. Plumb, who earlier this week was promoted to the rank of U.S. Navy Captain, said his policy priorities for rural veterans include:

• Expand Economic Opportunities in Rural Areas: Expedite professional licensing procedures and increase access to capital for veterans so they can come back home to start businesses and build successful civilian careers in rural areas.
• Align Education Opportunities with Military Experience: Recognize that returning veterans have a range of different life experiences that 18-year olds starting college straight from high school do not. Develop best practices and programs that maximize education success for veterans seeking to use the post-9/11 GI Bill. Protect veterans from predatory for-profit colleges by closing loopholes that allow exploitation of veterans and their families.
• Improve Access and Quality of Healthcare: Expand collaborations and health information exchanges between VA and non-VA healthcare providers and enhance coverage of telemedicine options when appropriate. Revise 40-mile rule that handcuffs Veterans Choice program users and immediately fix the related billing problems.
• Revise our approach to Mental Health and Well-being: Improve and streamline access to treatment by increasing the number of covered behavioral health providers and proactively addressing issues of stigma especially in small, rural communities. Streamline paperwork and other delays in care to ensure rapid access to support for those most in need.
• Support Military Families: Protect family members’ access to key services, like TRICARE and the GI Bill. Provide immediate families and caregivers, especially those in rural communities, with information and training to better identify and respond to potential problems like opioid addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Here is a link to Capt. Plumb’s full policy paper on “Keeping Our Promise to Rural Veterans and Their Families.”  

Plumb is challenging Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning) for his seat in the 2016 general election. Over the past two decades he’s served as a submarine officer in the Navy and later as an official at the Department of Defense. Most recently he’s served as director of defense policy and strategy at the National Security Council. He graduated from Randolph High School in 1988.

Reed is an attorney and former mayor of Corning, NY who was elected to Congress in 2010 and has represented Chautauqua County since January 2013, when redistricting created the new boundaries for the state’s 23^rd congressional district.