WASHINGTON, DC: Today, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (VA-02) released the following statement after being selected to serve on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.  The Committee, chaired by Rep. Mike Bost (IL-12), has jurisdiction over any legislation – including the authorization of funding – relating to veterans’ benefits. Additionally, the Committee conducts oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs. As the home to Naval Air Station Oceana and close neighbor to Norfolk Naval Station, Virginia’s Second District is home to a large population of our nation’s veterans. 
 
“I’m excited to be selected to serve on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs,” said Congresswoman Kiggans.  “This committee is the intersection of two of my top priorities: our nation’s heroes and our healthcare system.  As a veteran and a primary care provider, I’m keenly aware of the difficulties our veterans face after completing their time serving our nation. We must do better and ensure that the brave men and women who have served our country don’t slip through the cracks. I’m eager to use my position on this Committee to deliver results and improve quality of life for the veterans of the Second District and across the country!”
 
“I am thrilled to welcome Congresswoman Jen Kiggans to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. Representing one of the largest populations of veterans and military families in southeastern Virginia, serving in the Navy herself, and then working in geriatric care as a nurse practitioner, Congresswoman Kiggans brings vitally important boots on the ground experience to the Committee,” said Chairman Bost. “I am confident that Jen will be a strong voice for our veteran community and I look forward to serving with her this Congress.”
 
BACKGROUND
Congresswoman Kiggans was winged as a Naval Aviator in 1995 and served our nation for a total of 10 years as a helicopter pilot, flying H-46 and H-3 helicopters while completing two deployments to the Persian Gulf.  She is the daughter of a retired U.S. Army Green Beret who served in Vietnam, and her husband Steve is a retired U.S. Navy F/A-18 pilot.  She has four children; her oldest two attend the United States Naval Academy and the Virginia Military Institute.
 
After her time in the Navy, Congresswoman Kiggans attended both the Old Dominion University School of Nursing and Vanderbilt University Nurse Practitioner Program to become a board-certified geriatric nurse practitioner. Prior to being sworn into Congress, she worked in several long-term care and nursing facilities in Virginia Beach and Norfolk in addition to serving as a primary care provider for a small private practice in Virginia Beach.

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