No state is more closely connected to the military than Virginia. As the father of a Marine, Tim Kaine knows that military families, veterans, and service members face unique challenges and need leaders who understand them.
Tim has successfully passed legislation to reduce military spouse unemployment, help remove barriers to maternal and postpartum mental health care in the military, and ease servicemembers’ transition into the civilian workforce by helping them use the skills they developed in the military to obtain a workforce credential to help them get a good job. Tim also pushed to pass the PACT Act, which expanded health care and benefits through the VA to toxic-exposed veterans and marked the largest expansion of VA health care in nearly 30 years.
Additionally, Tim passed the Brandon Act to provide servicemembers with key mental health support by empowering them to get the help they need confidentially. The legislation was named in honor of Brandon Caserta, who died by suicide in 2018 while he was stationed at Naval Station Norfolk. Tim continues to relentlessly advocate for DOD to fully implement this law. Recently, Tim played a critical role in passing legislation that included a 5.2 percent pay raise for servicemembers – the largest in over two decades.
