Veterans
I believe it is very important that the needs of our military veterans be met to the fullest extent possible. Our veterans fought to protect our freedoms and way of life. We should respect our veterans and show our appreciation for the sacrifices they have made.
It is critical that our commitment to providing quality care and service to our nation’s veterans remains. The Republican Congress will continue its efforts to make it easier for veterans to get VA care and give them greater assurance that the VA system of tomorrow will be an even better system than the one that serves them today.
In fact, over the past five years, the federal budget for veterans programs and services has increase more than $20 billion from $48 billion in 2001 to over $70 billion this year, a record 46% growth since President Bush took office. Funding for veterans health care services has risen by 46%, providing VA with the resources for the 5 million veterans whop will receive health care this year, about one million more than were treated in 2001.
Congress also made a truly historic breakthrough on the issue of “concurrent receipt” for disabled military retirees. As a result of landmark legislation passed last year, an estimated 250,000 disabled military retirees will receive $22 billion in additional retirement payments over the next ten years. Effective January 2005, a retiree rated 100 percent service-connected disabled can receive their disability and military retirement benefits concurrently.
Veterans History Project
The Veterans History Project collects and preserves the extraordinary wartime stories of ordinary people. The Project was created to ensure that the stories of our nation’s veterans are preserved for future generations.
The current focus of the Veterans History Project is to collect and preserve the first-hand accounts of U.S. veterans of 20th century wars. Volunteers interview veterans about their thoughts and experiences from their service. These interviews will be archived at the Library of Congress.
To share your story, volunteer or receive more information, you may access the Veterans History Project website at http://www.loc.gov/folklife/vets.
