Veterans,
VA budget should get a boost
By
Congressman Collin Peterson
In
the coming days we will be celebrating Veterans Day. We will honor more than 25
million living American veterans who have worn the uniform and taken an oath to
protect and defend this great country. What can we do as a nation or as
individuals to honor all the men and women who served our country? We
should give them our utmost respect, not only in words but in action too.
While
our soldiers are deployed thousands of miles away in the global war on terrorism
in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq, and in bases throughout the world, the thanks
of a grateful nation should be reflected not only in saying thank you but also
in giving the proper funding amount to the VA budget, to give all veterans the
health care they have earned.
Because
of advancements to equipment and medical treatment, the survival rate for
injured soldiers is higher than in previous wars. Many wounded soldiers
returning home will be more dependent on the VA for their wheelchairs,
prostheses, and health care for the remainder of their lives. For this newest
generation of wartime veterans, the VA is increasingly becoming their health
care system of choice.
The
current administration has tried to justify its record of under-funding
veterans’ health care by asserting that overall funding has increased. Such a
claim misses the point because there also has been a significant increase in the
number of veterans using the health care system. For example, the past decade,
the number of VA patients increased by 2.4 million.
All
too often I hear from veterans who are not able to receive the level of care
that they deserve because the VA budget is not adequate to staff or update their
facilities. I am advocating for mandatory funding for the VA health care budget
so veterans will no longer have to wonder from year to year if VA will be there
for them or not.
This
year, more than ever, our veterans and their families deserve our respect and
support as we remember them during this important holiday. Especially this week,
please take the time to remember the veterans in your community.
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