U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki today visited the VA Togus Medical Center. Shinseki was invited to tour the facility by Maine 2nd District Congressman Mike Michaud, who said he wanted the secretary to see first-hand the services that are being provided at the facility.
Michaud, who chairs the House Veteran's affairs Subcommittee on Health, is also pressing to expand services for Maine veterans in rural areas. Shinseki said he's committed to that concept, and to ending homelessness among the nation's veterans.
Maine 1st District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, who also attended the event, says there are about 325,000 homeless veterans around the country.
Pingree says she also discussed with Shinseki the VA's efforts to deal with a big backlog of veterans' claims, a common complaint, she says, from Maine's military veterans.