Urgent--crisis For All Disabled Veterans

[Gimpy]

I haven't been posting for a good while now. But, this is something that MUST be seen by all who consider "a promise made should a promise kept", as President Bush stated in his campaign when attempting to convince all military veterans they should vote for him a couple of years ago. I said THEN he was full of S--t, and I STILL say he is! His less than adequate budget was ALREADY a "joke" for funding the Department of Veterans Affairs. Now, with WAR clouds on the horizon and the nations attention being directed to the upcoming conflict in Iraq his "cronies" in Congress (the Republican leadership) are on course to WRECK and completely DISREGARD any and all "promises" that were made by this administration with regards to Veterans assistance.

I tried to tell everyone this s--t was coming! Looks like it will be just like I said!

The Gimpster
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M E M O R A N D U M
TO: Action E-List Members
FROM: Joseph A. Violante, National Legislative Director
SUBJ: URGENT! IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED!
DATE: March 17, 2003
Having learned more details about the devastating effect of the budget resolution on veterans' programs, we are providing you with additional information. Included is a copy of DAV National Commander Heath's letter to Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert and a news release from Congressman Lane Evans, Ranking Democratic Member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee. You may send your own letter to the Speaker of the House from the DAV website at www.dav.org. Click on "Legislative Action & You," then "Advocacy in Action," then click on the alert entitled "House Budget Resolution Will Slash $9.7 Billion from Veterans Medical Care and $15 Billion from Disability Compensation and Other Benefit Programs." Enter your zip code in the box provided. It is important for you to send this message today because the entire House will likely vote on this resolution as early as Wednesday, March 19, 2003.
JOSEPH A. VIOLANTE
National Legislative Director
__________________________________________________ ____________
March 17, 2003
VIA FACSIMILE
The Honorable J. Dennis Hastert
Speaker of the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
H-232 Capitol Building
Washington, DC 20515-6501
Dear Mr. Speaker:
I write today on behalf of the 2.3 million disabled veterans, including the more than 1.2 million members of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), to communicate our deep-seated outrage regarding the fiscal year 2004 budget adopted by the House Budget Committee, which would cut veterans programs by more than $15 billion during the next 10 years.
Has Congress no shame? Is there no honor left in the hallowed halls of our government that you choose to dishonor the sacrifices of our nation's heroes and rob our programs?health care and disability compensation?to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy? You will be reducing benefits and services for disabled veterans at a time when thousands of our servicemembers are in harm?s way fighting terrorists around the world and thousands more of our sons and daughters are preparing for war against Iraq.
The budget adopted by the Committee, on a nearly party-line vote, would reduce funding for veterans health care by $844 million below the President's recommendation for next year. It also proposes to cut $463 million from benefit programs, such as disability compensation, pension, vocational rehabilitation, education and survivors' benefits, next year and $15 billion over the next 10 years. The budget proposal is in distinct contrast to the recommendations made by the Committee on Veterans' Affairs to increase discretionary programs, such as veterans health care, by $3 billion to help ensure that our nation?s sick and disabled veterans can be cared for properly.
Mr. Speaker, you are personally aware of the crisis in veterans health care and the urgent need to adequately fund the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system. If you, in your leadership role in the House, allow this budget proposal to pass the House without exempting VA programs from the massive cuts, it could mean the loss of 19,000 nurses, equating to the loss of 6.6 million outpatient visits or more than three-quarters of a million hospital bed days. But that is not all of the devastation that will be caused by the proposed cuts. You will be reaching into the pockets of our nation?s service-connected veterans, including combat disabled veterans, and robbing them and their survivors of a portion of their compensation. Ninety percent of VA?s mandatory spending is from cash payments to service-connected disabled veterans, low-income wartime veterans, and their survivors.
As hundreds of thousands of America's brave young men and women await the uncertainties brought on by war, including the potential of biological and chemical attacks at the hand of a fanatical tyrant, they should not have to also be concerned about the discouraging possibilities of a Department of Veterans Affairs that cannot provide either the necessary services or benefits they have earned and might need. Nor should World War II veterans, the "Greatest Generation," now in their twilight years, who are directly responsible for the freedom and prosperity of our nation, be forced out of a system designed specifically to provide for their needs.
All eyes will be on the critical action of the House this week as you vote on the budget. With America?s sons and daughters prepared to do battle with the enemies of our country, and our veterans locked in battles over the crisis in VA health care and drastic cuts to our programs, the American public will want to know whether our government will honor its commitment to our veterans and to their children?our future veterans?serving in harm's way.
There is no question that the vote on the proposed budget is an important vote, one that will set the tone for the remainder of this Congress, and likely the next Congress.
Mr. Speaker, this budget dishonors the service of millions of service-connected disabled veterans, including combat disabled veterans, and seriously erodes the nation's commitment to care for its defenders. If this budget resolution retains provisions to cut veterans' programs, I will use all the resources at my disposal to take our case to the American people and call upon members of Congress to oppose and vote against the budget resolution. I urge you to reconsider the inequitable and ill-advised course proposed in the Committee's partisan budget proposal. I look to you, in your leadership position, to ensure that this Congress honors our government's commitment to its veterans.
Sincerely,
EDWARD R. HEATH, SR.
National Commander
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NEWS FROM CONGRESSMAN LANE EVANS, RANKING DEMOCRATIC MEMBER, COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Room 333 Cannon HOB, Washington, DC 20515
FOR RELEASE: March 13, 2003
For More Information, Contact: Susan Edgerton or Mary Ellen McCarthy
(202) 225-9756
VETERANS PROGRAMS SLASHED BY HOUSE REPUBLICANS
Budget Committee Blueprint Cuts Veterans Health Care and Other Benefits by Nearly $25 Billion
Congressman Lane Evans (D-IL), the Ranking Democratic Member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, today said the budget adopted by the House Budget Committee would mean drastic reductions in funding for veterans' benefits and services. Evans called the budget ?shameful? and pledged to fight to defeat the Republic budget blueprint. Referring to the more than a trillion dollars worth of tax cuts approved by the Budget Committee, Evans asked, "Who deserves to receive the benefits of the national treasury?America?s disabled veterans or America's millionaires?"
The Republican majority of the House Budget Committee approved a federal budget reducing funding for veterans health care and benefit programs by nearly $25 billion. The proposed budget cut $844 million from the President's request for veterans' health care next year. Over a ten-year period the GOP is proposing a cut of $9.7 billion in veterans' health care?an average of more than $900 million less than the President has proposed per year. For other veterans' benefits, including cash payments to veterans disabled by military service, the Republican budget calls for a $463 million cut during the next year and a $15 billion cut in spending from current levels during the next ten years. The House Budget Committee is chaired by Congressman Jim Nussle (R-IA).
By a nearly party-line vote of 22-19, Republicans defeated an amendment offered by Democratic Representatives Darlene Hooley, Tammy Baldwin, Dennis Moore, Chet Edwards, Bruce Scott, Lois Capps, and Artur Davis that would have restored the proposed $844 million for veterans health care and added a billion dollars to the VA's budget for discretionary programs. These cuts are made to a budget that already relies upon $1.1 billion in vaguely defined management efficiencies and $1.4 billion in mostly unpalatable legislative and policy proposals already included in the President's budget. The amendment would also have restored the Budget Committee's proposed $463 million in cuts to veterans' benefits. Only Republican Ginny Brown-Waite, a member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, crossed party lines to vote for increased funding for veterans.
In sharp contrast to Nussle's proposal, a bipartisan recommendation from Chairman Christopher Smith (R-NJ) and Democratic Ranking Member Lane Evans (D-IL) on behalf of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, would have added $3 billion next year for veteran discretionary programs including medical care and research, construction and programs that fund the administrative costs of other important benefits such as compensation, pension and education programs.
What would $1.844 billion mean to veterans health care?
Congress would have to seriously consider the new copayments and enrollment fees proposed by the Bush Administration in order to keep the system operating in the next fiscal year. This means:
New priority 8 veterans would remain ineligible for VA services indefinitely
Priority 7 and 8 veterans would have an annual enrollment fee in addition to increased copayments for pharmaceutical drugs and primary care
Only veterans with highly rated service connected disabilities (greater than 70%) would be eligible for placement in VA nursing homes. This would eliminate the need for 5000 nursing home beds from the system.
In year one VA may have to disenroll at least 168,000 veterans.
There would be no additional funds available to implement the Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Act to work toward the goal of eliminating chronic homelessness in a decade.
The current Capital Assets Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) exercise that VA is undertaking to assess the best use of its physical infrastructure will become a "de facto" closure commission with no ability to respond to veterans' needs for primary care, long-term care, and mental health projected by its own models.
$1.844 billion =
about 9,000 doctors or 19,000 nurses
about 6.6 million outpatient visits
870,000 hospital bed days of care
2 million psychiatric bed days of care
9 million nursing home bed days of care
all of VA's top-twenty priorities major construction projects (totaling about $600 million) which include desperately needed seismic and modernization projects and projects to ensure patient and employee safety
What would $463 million cuts in mandatory spending mean to veterans benefits?
Congress would have to seriously cut the benefits paid to men and women who are disabled as a result of military service. Cash benefits paid to veterans who have disabilities incurred or aggravated during military service comprise the vast majority of VA?s budget for mandatory programs. Ninety percent of the mandatory spending the Budget Committee proposes to cut is from cash payments to service disabled veterans, low-income wartime veterans and their survivors.
Other programs funded with mandatory spending are the Montgomery G.I. Bill education benefits, vocational rehabilitation and independent living programs for service-disabled veterans, subsidies for VA home loans and insurance for service-disabled veterans and funds to provide headstones, markers and flags for deceased veterans.
Even if all burial benefits, including flags and markers were eliminated to meet the Budget Committee resolution, funding for benefits for living veterans would need to be dramatically cut.
Last year the cost-of living increase paid to service-disabled veterans was only 1.4%. In order to meet the Budget Committee criteria the House Committee on Veterans Affairs could propose a cost-of living decrease of 1.4% and no increase for FY 2004.
As our Nation stands on the verge of war, certain to result in disability and death for young Americans, the Budget Committee's proposal requires the House Committee on Veterans Affairs to make permanent cuts in the benefits paid to those disabled by virtue of their service to our Nation. These cuts must be made, so that our government can afford to provide a tax cut which will benefit only the wealthiest Americans, many of whom have never served in the military.
In contrast, Democrats proposed to restore the "Nussle" cut for benefits and health care and add $1 billion to the VA health care budget to eliminate the need for increased copayments, assist VA in eliminating waiting times, restore VA's nursing home care mission and provide a small boost to address the queue of VA major construction projects that include seismic projects and other projects that will assure patient and employee safety.

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N E W S R E L E A S E
The American Legion
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Disabled American Veterans
VETERANS BATTLE BUDGET CUTS
WASHINGTON, March 17?The nation?s three largest veterans organizations today called on Congress to scrap proposed budget cuts in disability compensation, pensions and health care to offset the costs of tax breaks and huge spending increases on defense and homeland security.
A fiscal year 2004 budget plan approved by the House Budget Committee would slash $470 billion from domestic spending, including health care and compensation for disabled veterans provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The House budget resolution would leave intact the $1.6 trillion Bush tax cut plan and allow huge spending increases on defense and homeland security.
"Veterans' pensions and disability compensation are parts of the costs of defending freedom. Our nation cannot, in good conscience, commit men and women to battle, and reduce the meager, yet well-deserved, compensation for those who are wounded," said American Legion National Commander Ronald F. Conley. "Of all the citizens who benefit from mandatory federal funding, none are worthier than those who are disabled today because they risked all of their tomorrows fighting for freedom. This budget defies common sense. We'll fight it with all our might."
"The health care and benefits our veterans have earned are a powerful reminder that the price of war is ongoing, and that as a nation we have a commitment to ensure these costs are paid," said Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander in Chief Ray Sisk. "Reducing VA health care funding, even by the seemingly small one percent, will worsen many of VA's gravest problems. We cannot expect sick and disabled veterans to wait months for earned health care. Equally troubling is that further cuts in funding would cause VA to curb further enrollment, or to remove certain veterans from the health care system altogether. It is imperative that Congress fully fund the VA."
"Cutting already under funded veterans' programs to offset the costs of tax cuts is indefensible and callous," said Edward R. Heath Sr., National Commander of the Disabled American Veterans. "It is unconscionable to cut benefits and services for disabled veterans at a time when we have thousands of our servicemembers in harm's way fighting terrorism around the world and when we are sending thousands more of our sons and daughters to fight a war against Iraq."
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Call, e-mail, or write your Congressmen or women ASAP and let them know how this travesty of justice and lack of human compassion on the part of the Republicans in Congress MUST BE STOPPED before it's to late!