What Pennsylvanians Are Saying: Bob Casey Stands “Shoulder to Shoulder” With Veterans on Key Issues

October 13, 2024

Vietnam War Veteran and President of Chester County AFL-CIO Council Dave McLimans: “When It Comes to Issues Important to Veterans, [Bob Casey] Stands Shoulder to Shoulder With Us”

PENNSYLVANIA – Dave McLimans, a Vietnam War Veteran, former president of the United Steelworkers Local 4588, and president of Chester County AFL-CIO Council recently praised Senator Bob Casey for his support of Pennsylvania veterans.

Times of Chester County Op-Ed: Bob Casey stands shoulder to shoulder with veterans

Many other veterans struggle to navigate the bureaucracy and access the services they’re owed, however, so I’m grateful to Sen. Bob Casey for co-sponsoring the Commitment to Veteran Support and Outreach (CVSO) Act—legislation now before Congress that would empower counties to seek out ex-service members and connect them with care. Casey’s advocacy for this bill is hardly surprising. When it comes to issues important to veterans, he stands shoulder to shoulder with us.
In 2008, just a year after he took office, Casey learned that nearly 20 service members and contractors had been electrocuted because of faulty wiring on bases in Iraq. Working with the mother of one of the victims, a Pittsburgh resident who reached out to him for help, Casey took a leadership role in pressuring the Defense Department to investigate the deaths, inspect installations for safety violations and implement an electrical code to avert future tragedies.
Casey later helped to pass legislation to speed the processing of veterans’ disability claims, prevent service member suicides, improve veterans’ medical care in rural areas and build homes for low-income veterans.
A couple of years ago, Casey helped to write and pass a bill particularly dear to me. The Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act represented a historic and long-needed expansion of VA health care.
As monumental as this legislation is, Casey understands that it’s just as important to take the next step and reach out to the many veterans who never use benefits they earned, either because they don’t know about them or struggle to access them. He supports the CVSO Act because it would enable counties to hire veteran service officers and ensure that those who served have every opportunity to avail themselves of VA care and other services.
A group of USW members recently met with Casey in Washington, D.C., to speak with him about pending legislation, including the CVSO act. Casey listened and asked questions. But we didn’t have to ask him to sign on as a co-sponsor. He’d already done so without our asking.
But what’s important to veterans like me is how well a person serves. And Casey’s record of exemplary service stretches back decades.

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