DAV Action Alert

[Gimpy]

Got this in my E-mail this morning!

Time to start e-mailing, writing and/or calling your Senators & Congresspersons!

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Action Alert

House Appropriations Committee Bill Inadequate to Cover VA Health Care Costs
Please Write to Your Representative Today!







According to the House Appropriations Committee, the FY 2004 VA-HUD appropriations bill provides for a "$1.4 billion increase over last year and approximately the President's request." This increase is wholly inadequate to provide health care to sick and disabled veterans, and represents a flagrant disregard to promises made to veterans by this Congress to increase health care appropriations by $1.8 billion above the President?s request. Therefore, we ask you to call on your Representative to return the VA-HUD bill to the Appropriations committee for further consideration.

The Joint Explanatory Statement on the FY 2004 budget resolution states that the ?Conference Agreement provides for discretionary BA [budget authority] of $29.96 billion for fiscal year 2004, an increase of $3.4 billion, or 12.9 percent ? nearly all of which is expected to be for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical programs.? According to VA, as of June 13, there were 134,287 veterans on waiting lists nationally. Over 51,000 veterans are waiting at least six months for their appointment, and nearly 83,000 are waiting for their first clinic appointment to be scheduled. This is certainly the wrong signal to send to America?s 25 million veterans. It is also a very sad message to send to the millions of American men and women serving on the front lines in Afghanistan, Iraq, in this country, and around the world, to say this Congress has little care or respect for their present and future needs.

The Independent Budget recommended a $3.3 billion increase for medical care. As the budget process has moved forward this year, not without considerable contention over VA funding, there has been a general acknowledgement that veterans? health care must receive an increase of this magnitude in appropriated dollars in order to meet its responsibilities. Providing a wholly inadequate $1.4 billion increase calls into question all of the press releases we have read, and news conferences we have attended touting this Congress? level of commitment to the men and women who have served this Nation.

As always, thank you for your support.


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[Arrow]

Dear John

I'm going to speak as plain as I can speak here. I have voted Republican all my adult life. And I voted Republican this last election. This administration has made decisions to take us to War and I have defended those decisions. But I can not defend the decisions that are being made in regard to our Veterans and their health care, concurrent receipt etc. In other mail I have stated to you that I lost a husband to Agent Orange related cancer. He was twenty five years old when he died after a tour of duty in Vietnam. I have a brother who served on the USS Repose who is now dying of Agent Orange related prostate cancer that went into the bone. This was from out right neglect on the part of the VA administration in Tomah WI. They failed to notify him of a high PSA count. He is a 58 year old male that should be living into his 80's. He has five by passes done almost twelve years ago. He needed a stint put in for a blocked artery recently and the VA in Milwaukee WI told him it would not make all that much difference. He believes as I do that the procedure was not done because they do not have enough doctors with the expertise to perform the procedure in that region. He went to a civilian doctor to have it done and now at least is not short of breath and is comfortable.

My husband in 1968 was treated with the poorest of care in a VA in Augusta GA. I want you to note the span of time I am talking about here. For years I have watched this lack of concern for our veterans in different regions around the country.

My only conclusion is that there is a consenus that comes from the heart of this country ie the seat of govenment that those we send to stand on the wall for us, those that carry out the policies of this government are considered not worthy of the best and finest care this nation can muster for them to our everlasting shame. How long can a country stand that sends it's young to war and ignores them when they come home to sick to live out full and complete lives and die before their time? It is your responsibility and my responsibilty and the responsibility of this nation to stand on the wall for them when they come home as they have done for us in a time of war.


As your constituent, I am writing to voice my strong opposition to the inadequate funding levels for veterans? health care reportedly contained in the FY 2004 VA-HUD appropriations bill.

Accordingly, please return the bill to the Appropriations Committee for reconsideration. Please let me know what you intend to do to ensure adequate funding for VA health care.

[Gimpy]

Lil Sis! You and yours have endured the ravages of a system that has been "underfunded" for many, many years now. Thanks for your efforts to try and correct this. God Bless you and your family.

I just received another "action Alert this afternoon. I have it listed below.

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Action Alert

House Rule Needed to Prevent Potentially Disastrous Medical Care Appropriations Bill
Please Write to Your Member of the Rules Committee Today!







On July 21, 2003, the House Appropriations Committee marked up an appropriations bill for the Department of Veterans Affairs and other Federal agencies for fiscal year 2004, which begins on October 1, 2003. In the bill, the Committee provided funding for veterans? medical care in an amount that is $2.2 billion below the amount earlier agreed upon by both the House and the Senate in the budget resolution. This lower funding will be disastrous for the VA medical care system, which is already severely strained due to inadequate funding in the current and past years.

A House member can offer an amendment to increase the amount for veterans? medical care only if the rule that sets the terms of debate of the bill on the House floor permits such an amendment. If permitted by the rule, Congressman Chet Edwards (D. Tex.) will offer an amendment to add $2.2 billion to the veterans? medical care appropriation. We therefore need to press members of the Rules Committee to adopt such a rule. Use the prepared e-mail to write your member of the House Rules Committee today.

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[Gimpy]

You can get a copy of this prepared letter and have it fowarded to YOUR Congressman by visiting the DAV web site.

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VA Funding Crisis

Representative Michael Bilirakis

Dear Congressman Bilirakis,

I write to you as a member of the House Committee on Rules regarding a
matter of great importance to veterans. The bill making appropriations
for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and other agencies, marked
up
by the Appropriations Committee on July 21, 2003, would provide $2.2
billion less for veterans? medical care in fiscal year 2004 than the
amount set by the concurrent budget resolution. Because of a serious
mismatch between funding and demand, the VA medical care system is
already
in a state of crisis in which sick and disabled veterans must sometimes
wait for months to be seen in a VA clinic, with other veterans being
turned away from VA?s doors altogether. Inadequate funding again in FY
2004 will be disastrous for veterans and the VA system.

There is strong support in the House for an amendment to restore this
$2.2
billion to the appropriation for veterans? medical care. It is our
understanding that Congressman Chet Edwards will offer an amendment for
this purpose, provided the rule for this bill permits such an
amendment.
On behalf of this Nation?s veterans, I therefore write to strongly urge
your Committee to report a rule that will permit Congressman Edwards?
amendment to add $2.2 billion to the appropriation for veterans?
medical
care.

Thank you for your consideration. Please let me know whether I can
count
on your support on this matter.

Sincerely,


Steve Johnson
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[Arrow]

No brother thank you...from my heart for being such a faithful advocate for your brothers and sisters... Sis

[Gimpy]

Looks like you're the ONLY one around here that gives a flying shit about what happens to sick & disabled veterans and their dependents!

This post has been up on the "General Posts" board, the "Vietnam Posts" board, The "Veterans Benefits" board & the "Veterans Concerns" board for MORE than TWO DAYS now and the ONLY positive response has come from you!

God bless you Lil gal-----I know we can depend on YOU whenever it gets to "crunch" time!

This damn thing is coming up for a vote as early as Friday (tomorrow for Gods' sake!) and it looks like we are gonna get SCREWED AGAIN if we can't get some more folks OFF THEIR ASS!!!!!

this came in my E-mail today!
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Action Alert

VA Health Care Funding At Risk
Please Contact Your Member of Congress TODAY!







According to the House Appropriations Committee, the FY 2004 VA-HUD appropriations bill provides for a $1.4 billion increase over last year. This increase is wholly inadequate to provide health care to sick and disabled veterans, and represents a flagrant disregard to promises made to veterans by the House Leadership and this Congress to increase health care appropriations by about $2 billion above the President?s request.

Please use the prepared e-mail to write to your member of Congress and urge him or her to vote against this appropriations bill unless the promised increase is included. The vote on this crucial matter is expected as early as Friday, July 25, 2003. Therefore, it is crucial that you contact your Representative today either by e-mail or the phone.

As always, thank you for your continued support.


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:cd: :cd: :cd: :cd: :cd: :cd: :cd:

[Arrow]

Hopefully some read and didn't respond but sent mail. It's obvious that we don't have the support we need though because our Veterans would be getting medical treatment in a timely manner, their claims would be processed in months instead of years, and they would be treated with the dignity they deserve not in just a few regions but every region of this country.

[Arrow]

to use their website to contact your Congressional Rep. Follow this link to find the resouces to do so. If you browse the site a bit you will find a way to have the alerts sent to your e-mail address. One thing I have found just doing this helps relieve a lot more stress than sitting around talking about what should be done but never doing anything about it.



http://capwiz.com/dav/home/