Honoring Those Who Served

November 4, 2005

COLUMBUS, OH – Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (R-Upper Arlington) today submitted the following editorial:

This month we observe Veterans’ Day, and honor the 25 million American veterans who have served our great nation and advanced freedom’s cause on all corners of the globe. Veterans’ Day touches nearly every American, as the men and women to whom we pay tribute are often our parents, grandparents, siblings, neighbors and friends. They live among us, work along side of us, and are seen every day in our communities; and while their presence is pervasive, we may not think to thank them each and every day for their courage as we should. Thus, we have dedicated November 11 to them to express America’s appreciation for their courage, honor and sacrifice, and remind them that we are forever grateful for their heroism.

As the War on Terror continues, more and more Americans are becoming veterans, and are returning to their families and communities to resume their lives. Accordingly, it is the moral imperative of Congress to ensure that the support we provide these returning veterans – as well as every American who served our nation -- is commensurate with sacrifices they have made in America’s name.

To this end, I am proud to report that the U.S. House of Representatives has made tremendous improvements to the quality of life of our nation’s heroes. Over the last two years, funding for veterans' medical care has increased by 18 percent. Earlier this summer, Congress passed the Military Quality of Life Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006, which provides $31 billion for veterans' health programs. Further, at the end of July, the House approved the FY2006 Interior-Environment appropriations bill, which included a critically vital provision to add an additional $1.5 billion to veterans' health care programs. On August 2, 2005, President Bush signed this measure into law.

A number of other bills have been passed by the House this year to bolster veterans' health care. On July 13, 2005, the House passed the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Act of 2005. The bill provides a COLA for disability compensation rates for veterans with service-connected disabilities, and for indemnity compensation provided to survivors of certain disabled veterans. Perhaps most importantly, the COLA is equal to the adjustment Social Security recipients receive. The measure must now be approved by the Senate before veterans' will receive the COLA adjustment they so richly deserve. Finally, on July 26, 2005, the House passed the Servicemembers` Group Life Insurance Enhancement Act of 2005. This bill increases the maximum life insurance coverage available for service members and veterans from $250,000 to $400,000 and makes the increase permanent. The President signed this bill into law on September 30, 2005.

You may be aware of the efforts of our central Ohio congressional delegation to bring a new Veterans Affairs (VA) clinic to the veterans in our community. One of my proudest moments as your Member of Congress came recently when Congressman Dave Hobson (OH-7), Congressman Pat Tiberi (OH-12) and I secured $90 million for the new VA clinic in Columbus. While the doctors and nurses at the current Chalmers P. Wylie Outpatient Clinic work hard every day to provide for veterans, they simply do not have the resources or facilities to provide adequate care to our area’s growing veteran population. The new clinic is on schedule to open as early as 2007 on the grounds of the Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC), at which point our area veterans will no longer be forced to travel for hours to other cities to receive the care they need.

Our nation’s veterans have fought communism, tyranny and terror across the planet, and risked everything to protect America and our way of life. In return, they should be afforded the very best in health care and benefits our country has to offer. From the Lima Company Marines whose return was celebrated last month, to the few surviving WWI veterans whose heroism must never be forgotten, and every veteran in between, America salutes you all.