WASHINGTON — The Elizabeth Dole Foundation has commended President Donald Trump for signing the VA Mission Act on Wednesday.

Former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, a Salisbury native, and the foundation’s executive director, Steve Schwab, stood with Trump as he signed the bill into law, which reforms how the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will serve veterans and their caregivers.

The bill, introduced by U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., received strong bipartisan and bicameral support.

The law responds to the Elizabeth Dole Foundation’s calls to expand the VA’s Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers beyond those caring for veterans who served after Sept. 11, 2001.

Caregivers assisting veterans of all eras will soon be eligible for the financial and education resources.

Dole is president of the foundation she founded in 2012.

“Today, President Trump and our leaders in Congress take historic action in support of our veterans and their caregivers,” Dole said Wednesday. “The VA Mission Act of 2018 will transform the VA in a way that provides the best possible care to those who have served our country.

“The law also corrects a long-standing inequity in the VA system that has prevented 4.4 million pre-9/11 veteran caregivers from accessing critical resources they need to care for those who have cared for us.

“Until today, these hidden heroes have served as an unpaid workforce, absorbing the overwhelming challenges that can come with caring for a veteran. The VA Mission Act brings us one step closer to full and equitable support for military and veteran caregivers.”

According to the foundation, the law also better ensures that veterans receive the care they need by reauthorizing the Veterans Choice program for one year; strengthening the VA’s ability to recruit, hire and retain quality medical personnel; and reviewing, realigning and modernizing the VA’s health care infrastructure.

The Elizabeth Dole Foundation aims to empower, support and honor the nation’s 5.5 million military caregivers — spouses, parents, family members and friends — who care for America’s wounded, ill or injured veterans at home.

The foundation works with leaders in the public, private, nonprofit and faith communities to recognize military caregivers’ service and promote their well-being.

Its Hidden Heroes Campaign brings attention to the stories of military caregivers and provides a safeplace where caregivers can access vetted resources.

Visit www.elizabethdolefoundation.org and www.hiddenheroes.org for more information.