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Remember Veterans With More Than Ceremonies

May 10, 2002, Our country’s commitment to the men and women who died to secure our freedoms is recalled every Memorial Day in ceremonies and speeches. Our commitment to the veteran who fought and lived should be no less remembered – and we do that by honoring the promises we made.
One promise was a guarantee of health care. Unfortunately, our government is not doing very well at honoring that promise, and that is something I am fighting to see changed.

This year the president has asked for $22.7 billion for medical care through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Make no mistake, that is a considerable amount of money, but an independent review of needs by veterans organizations has highlighted how that is $1.8 billion short of where we should be.

In January, Congress received the Independent Budget, an annual report prepared by AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America and Veterans of Foreign Wars. These respected organizations know and have the interest of veterans at heart, so their report is a guidepost for congressional deliberations over veterans issues.

Most disturbing is the report’s note that the underfunding of VA facilities have resulted in significant waiting lists for veterans entering the system. Even severely disabled veterans are having to wait for health care services. VA hospitals are having to absorb cuts they can ill afford.

Veterans in Middle Tennessee have told me about having to endure long waits for even basic services. VA nurses and other dedicated employees have told me about this, too. Their complaints are verified by the statistical evidence showing the national backlog of veterans’ cases awaiting decisions for service. Undecided cases more than 180 days old rose from 172,294 to 204,006 from October 2001 to January 2002.

Service delayed is no service at all if your health worsens because you had to wait months to see a doctor.

To help resolve the problem, the Independent Budget calls for $24.5 billion to catch up with past year shortfalls and put veterans care on a healthy road.

Spending per veteran has declined since 1994 from almost $7,500 to less than $5,750. This is both because more veterans are coming into the system and budgets are not keeping up.

In response, I am supporting efforts to secure an amount that will meet the needs of the veterans health-care system. The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee recommended $24.5 billion, but disappointingly the House Budget Committee called for $23.9 billion.

Later this year Congress will appropriate money based on all these recommendations. I intend to fight for the realistic totals endorsed by the veterans organizations and the House Veterans’ Committee.

Our nation is locked in a war against terrorism and again is calling on its young men and women to stand on the front line of freedom. When they look to us, they need to see that we are honoring the promises made to generations of soldiers, sailors and airmen.

Sen. Bart Gordon(D - Tenn)