Standing Up For Our Veterans

By John A. Rinaldi

We must provide a fully-funded VA health care system; a system of protection and expansion of long-term medical care and mental health services; a systems which has a timely transition from active duty to veteran status; and a system which provides for full education benefits and subsequent transition training.

As a veteran myself, I am deeply disturbed by a growing trend. Our brave men and women, sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, are returning from overseas having served their nation proudly and they are being denied the very services they deserve. Since 2003, over 260,000 U.S. veterans have been denied Veterans Administration health care. President Bush, in response, has requested an increase in Veteran co-pays from $8 to $15 and an increase in the enrollment fee to $250 to cover the rising cost of veterans' benefits. Tens of thousands of veterans have applied for training and education assistance for which they are entitled under the GI Bill and they are being denied. And reports suggest that over 80% of those who call into the Veterans Administration receive inaccurate information. As a nation, I believe we have a moral obligation to our veterans to secure health, education, and welfare for them and for their families.

Hundreds of thousands of military veterans are being denied health care benefits.

A study published by the New England Journal of Medicine and conducted by the Department of Psychiatric and Behavioral Sciences at Walter Reed Hospital showed that 17% of the troops returning from duty in Iraq met the strict screening criteria for mental problems such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The Veterans Association testified before Congress indicating that nearly 25,000 veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan have been diagnosed with mental-health disorders from war. In response to the concern of rising costs, Veterans Affairs has announced it will review over 70,000 cases to root out fraud. I am sure I am not alone when I say I believe this is outrageous.

Matt LaBranche was a gunner protecting National Guard companies in Iraq. On his way to Tikrit, his truck was separated from the convoy. His radio would not work. And suddenly, a roadside bomb detonated, and he was propelled from the truck. He was able to pull the driver out of the truck, and laid down fire until, as he says, he thought the barrel would melt. This is just one memory that he cannot shake loose. But it is not the worst. Those he won't talk about, he can't. They involve images--and trauma--that are too much for him. Matt is one of many who have qualified under the PTSD section of veteran benefits, after a stringent set of interviews and medical evaluations. He is also one of many who will likely have to go through that whole process again. This is not right. It is simply not American.

Douglas Barber, a veteran of Operation Iraqi freedom, fought for two years to receive benefits for his PTSD. Not the monthly checks, but rather the medical benefits and counseling for the trauma. Early last year, Doug shot himself, unable to cope with the tormented thoughts he could not control. Unable to cope because he was denied the medical attention he needed. The list goes on, and it is a tragic one. Most studies place the number on the waiting list between 200,000 and 300,000, some suggesting it is as high as 500,000. In Doug's case, being on a waiting list literally cost him his life. This is not right. It is simply not American.

This administration has argued that the growing number of veterans receiving payments grew at an alarming rate over the past several years, from 120,000 cases in 1999 to 216,000 in 2004, taking the costs of PTSD benefit payments from $1.7 billion in 1999 to $4.3 billion in 2004. What this administration fails to admit--and the Republican-controlled Congress fails to understand--is that we went to war during that time. We dispatched hundreds of thousands of troops to fight a war on terror unprepared, only to find our troops the victims of physical and emotional terror and trauma. Unless we take dramatic steps, the Veterans Administration will face upwards of a $2.7 billion shortfall.

It is not Matt's fault that he was sent to war and returned traumatized, and he should not be bullied by our government any further. It is the responsibility of a nation's leaders to make sure that those who go to war are prepared for what they encounter--physically and emotionally. And it is the moral obligation to ensure they are taken care of when they return--physically and emotionally.

In Vietnam, up to 30% of the men and women who served and returned suffered from PTSD. Yes, these individuals are still receiving disability payments. Yes, those who return from Iraq and Afghanistan and qualify under the strict medical standards as PTSD will receive disability payment in perpetuity. And they should. They served our nation honorably, and just because our President and our Congress refuses to acknowledge the financial implications of this war does not mean that individuals like Matt LaBlanche should suffer the consequences of this administration's failed policies.

Hundreds of thousands of military veterans are being denied education assistance through the GI Bill.

Lance Culver is a young Navy veteran who returned to his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky ready to serve his community. Lance wanted to be a police officer and was willing to go through all the necessary police academy training. Beyond the initial training, Louisville Metro Police requires on-the-job training, a cost often incurred by the police officer. Under the GI Bill, those who have gone before Lance received upwards of $12,000 for training for domestic law enforcement. These services were cut in July 2005, according to Veterans Education officials. Lance was left holding the bill for training to serve his community.

I cannot think of a more noble goal than to commit oneself to protecting one's community. I served as a police officer in Ocean City, Maryland. I was honored to serve along side many men and women who were veterans. These people understood the importance of national security, and the need for highly trained and qualified domestic security.

In 1944 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into act the GI Bill of Rights, it changed the lives of every soldier who from served. Within seven years, nearly 8 million veterans received education benefits: 2.3 million attended colleges and universities, 3.5 million received school training; and 3.4 million received on-the-job training. But the effect was so much more than that. This program, which could just as well have been called No Soldier Left Behind, gave the nation a renewed hope. The reality is that education provides a social safety net that eases trauma, tension, and difficulties adjusting to a life outside of the military. Today, even those who do receive monies from the GI Bill are caught in a gap where the funding level often covers less than 50% of the education costs for a public college or university.

We must stand up to this injustice.

Many of our brave young men and women have returned home having incurred some type of injury that prohibits them from remaining on active duty. Some have lost the capacity to shut their eyes without the horrors haunting their thoughts. Some have lost limbs. These are our heroes. These are the men and women upon whom we confer Purple Hearts and our deepest gratitude. To deny these men and women the benefits they deserve is a wound inflicted ten-fold, and further wounds these soldiers do not need.

We must demand:

1. A fully-funded VA health care system for all veterans;

2. A system of protection and expansion of long-term medical care and mental health services;

3. A system which has a timely transition from active duty to veteran status;

4. A system which provides for full education benefits and subsequent transition training.

I urge you to stand up to this injustice. Join me in sending the message to Washington that we will not allow this injustice to continue.

Your Friend,

John