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Democratic 2022 United States Representative

Raul Ruiz

U.S. Representative Raul Ruiz, M.D., grew up in the community of Coachella, California, where both of his parents were farmworkers.

Dr. Ruiz achieved his lifelong dream of becoming a physician through public education. After graduating from Coachella Valley High School, Dr. Ruiz graduated magna cum laude from UCLA. He went on to Harvard University, where he earned his Medical Degree, as well as a Masters of Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government and a Masters of Public Health from the School of Public Health, becoming the first Latino to earn three graduate degrees from Harvard University. He completed his Residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and a Fellowship in International Emergency Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. During his training, Dr. Ruiz served as a consultant to the Ministries of Health of both Serbia and El Salvador.

 

VETERANS

Veterans in the 36th District and all across the United States have served our country honorably and deserve our unwavering support. While we can never fully repay our veterans for their service to our nation, we have an obligation to work together as Democrats and Republicans to ensure they have access to the high-quality care and receive benefits they have earned and deserve. 

I am working aggressively with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to end the VA benefits backlog, expand and improve access to health care for veterans in the 36th District, improve educational and job opportunities for heroes returning home, and combat veterans’ homelessness. As the co-founder of the Congressional Burn Pits Caucus, I am also working to get burn pits exposed veterans' the health care and benefits they deserve from the VA.

Recently Introduced Legislation: 

  • H.R. 2372, the Presumptive Benefits for War Fighters Exposed to Burn Pits and Other Toxins Act of 2021, which would establish a list of new diseases as service-connected for which veterans can receive VA benefits as a result of toxic exposure while serving in the military.
  • H.R. 2371, the Veterans’ Right to Breathe Act, which establishes presumption of service connection for pulmonary diseases associated to burn pit exposure.
  • H.R. 2432, the Jennifer Kepner HOPE Act, which would provide veterans exposed to burn pits eligibility for VA Healthcare and enrollment in Priority Group 6.

Dr. Ruiz's Legislation Signed into Law for Veterans:

  • H.R. 5007, the Restoring Accountability in Veterans Access to Health Care Act, was signed into law as part of the Veterans’ Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014 on August 7, 2014. My bill helps address the provider shortage at the VA, which will lead to increased access to our veterans seeking the care that they earned and deserve.
  • H.R. 732, the Veterans’ Access to Speedy Review Act, was signed into law as part of the Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2016 on December 16, 2016. My bill reduces wait times for veterans waiting for their disability claim review and eliminates substantial travel costs by guaranteeing the option of video teleconferencing for hearings before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.
  • H.R. 2691, the Veterans' Survivors Claims Processing Automation Act, was signed into law the Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2016 on December 16, 2016. My bill helps grieving family members get their survivor benefits more quickly and with less hassle by allowing the VA to expedite payment of certain survivor benefits to eligible family members upon the death of a veteran.
  • H.R. 4150, the Department of Veterans Affairs Emergency Medical Staffing Recruitment and Retention Act, was signed into law as part of the Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2016 on December 16, 2016. My bill helps increase access to health care for veterans through reduced wait times by providing the VA with the ability to implement flexible physician and physician assistant work schedules, increasing their ability to recruit and retain staff. 
  • H.R. 271, the COVER Act, was signed into law as part of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 on July 22, 2016. This bill increases therapy options for veterans to help them combat PTSD and manage chronic pain by establishing a commission to examine VA’s current therapy model and the potential benefits in incorporating complementary alternative therapies.
  • H.R. 3471, the Veterans Mobility Safety Act, was signed into law on December 14, 2016. My bill helps ensure veterans' safety by establishing a set of standards for modifying vehicles to accommodate disabled veterans, empowering them to remain mobile and lead a healthy and full life.
  • H.AMDT. 639 was signed into law as part of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 on August 13, 2018. My amendment protects members of our armed services from the harmful burn pits that their predecessors were exposed to by requiring the DOD to conduct a feasibility study on phasing out the use of burn pits.
  • H.AMDT.645 was signed into law as part of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 on August 13, 2019. My amendment increases the amount of data collected by the burn pits registry, leading to a more comprehensive understanding of the negative long-term health effects of burn pit exposure.
  • H.R. 4930, the Wounded Veterans Recreation Act, was signed into law on December 3, 202. My bill would ensure that all veterans with a service-connected disability will receive a free lifetime pass to our country’s National Parks.
  • H.R. 7597, the DOD Burn Pits Research Status Act, was signed into law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 on January 1, 2021. My bill helps in our fight against burn pits by increasing transparency between the DOD and Congress so that Congress can better assess the effects of burn pits on veterans.
  • H.R. 7598, the Post-Deployment Burn Pit Question Act, was signed into law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 on January 1, 2021. My bill helps in our fight against burn pits by increasing reporting of burn pits and toxic exposures when servicemembers are filling their post-deployment forms
  • H. Amdt. 331 was signed into law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 on December 20, 2019. My bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to conduct an implementation plan to phase out the use of the nine active burn pits identified in an April 2019 report to Congress.
  • H. Amdt. 332 was signed into law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 on December 20, 2019. My bill directs the DOD to provide Congress and the Veterans Administration with a list of the locations of military bases, posts, forward operating bases, combat outposts, and any other locations at which open-air burn pits have been used.
  • H.R. 4397, the DOD Burn Pits Health Provider Training Act, was signed into law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 on December 27, 2021. My bill will help ensure that symptoms of burn pit exposure are not overlooked or underdiagnosed.
  • H.R. 4400, the Burn Pit Registry Expansion Act, was signed into law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022. My bill helps researchers better understand the full extent of the damage done by the exposure.