The MAIN REASON not to vote for Bush!

[Gimpy]

Just got this from the DAV...................it should help convince any doubters of the "Bush agenda" that continue to do harm and cause untold misery to millions of sick and disabled veterans and their dependents.

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FEBRUARY 13, 2004

Action List/ DAV

In response to the current crisis in VA health care, the DAV and eight other veterans service organizations formed the Partnership for Veterans Health Care Budget Reform. We strongly believe that mandatory funding will provide a comprehensive solution for VA?s health care funding crisis and that all enrolled veterans should be included under a mandatory funding mechanism.



Because of their extraordinary sacrifices and contributions, veterans have earned the right to free health care as a continuing cost of national defense. Mandatory health care funding would not create an individual entitlement to health care, nor change the VA?s current mission. Guaranteeing veterans? health care funding would, however, eliminate the year-to-year uncertainty about funding levels that has prevented the VA from being able to adequately plan for and meet the growing needs of veterans seeking treatment.



We urge House members to support H.R. 2318, the Assured Funding for Veterans Health Care Act of 2003.



We urge Senators to support S. 50, the Veterans Health Care Funding Guarantee Act of 2003.



TO MAINTAIN SERVICES FOR VETERANS, CONGRESS MUST PROVIDE FUNDING

ABOVE THE LEVEL IN THE PRESIDENT?S BUDGET



The President?s budget request for fiscal year 2005 would make deep cuts in spending on veterans? programs and would thereby degrade benefits and services to our Nation?s veterans, particularly sick and disabled veterans seeking medical care and disability benefits.



Those special few who fight our wars and serve in our Armed Forces do so at great risk to their own health and life and make extraordinary sacrifices for all other citizens of our country. Only through their willingness to serve and sacrifice do we enjoy the freedoms we have, in the strongest and most prosperous nation on earth. All citizens do not personally serve in our military, but each of our citizens has a responsibility to provide for the common defense. Veterans? benefits are a continuing cost of war and national defense. Accordingly, citizens willingly and gratefully contribute to this national burden in part through their support of veterans? programs. Veterans? programs are a priority for the American people, and they should always be a priority for our representative government. Unfortunately, the President? budget does not reflect this time-honored principle.



To many veterans, the availability of medical care through the Department of Veterans Affairs means the difference between health and sickness, life and death. The difference between prompt medical care and delayed medical care can also mean the difference between recovery and chronic illness, life and death. Under-funding of the VA?s medical care system has already resulted in long waiting times for many sick and disabled veterans needing medical attention. If Congress does not provide funding substantially above the amount the President requested for veterans? medical care, the already bad situation will only be made much worse. Veterans needing medical attention fo r illnesses will wait longer for appointments, and some veterans will be denied care altogether. For them, the course Congress chooses means the difference between health and sickness or, for some, life and death.



The President?s budget requests $26.9 billion in appropriations for veterans? medical care. Because this amounts to only 1.2 % above last year?s appropriation, it is less than the rate of inflation and actually represents a reduction in funding. The Independent Budget?which is prepared by the DAV, AMVETS, PVA, and VFW and which is based on real resource needs rather than political considerations?recommends a minimum of $29.791 billion in appropriations (apart from money VA collects) for veterans? medical care.



The President?s budget also seeks to shift the costs of veterans? medical care from the Government to veterans themselves, by imposing a $250 annual enrollment fee and higher co-payments for some veterans. This departs from the fundamental principle that veterans? benefits are provided to veterans free by a grateful nation in return for their service and is just another way of reneging on the Government?s moral obligation to care for veterans.



In addition, the President?s budget threatens veterans? programs by requesting a reduction in personnel to process and decide benefit claims. VA has struggled for years to overcome large claims backlogs and consequent delays in the delivery of benefits, such as disability compensation, to veterans who have immediate needs for the benefits. Moreover, VA projects substantial increases in the number of benefit claims in FY 2005. For VA?s Veterans Benefits Administration, the President?s budget requests 829 fewer employees for FY 2005 than VBA had at the end of the fiscal year we have just completed, FY 2003. The President?s budget recommends 12,198 full-time employees (F TE) for VBA in FY 2005. The Independent Budget recommends 13,184 FTE for VBA in 2005.



Congress should provide $29.791 billion in appropriations for veterans? medical care in FY 2005


Congress should not impose any additional charges upon veterans for medical care


Congress should provide appropriations for 13,184 FTE in VBA for FY 2005


SUPPORT FULL CONCURRENT RECEIPT FOR ALL DISABLED

CAREER MILITARY RETIREES



For nearly two decades, disabled military retirees have fought to end the unfair law that requires forfeiture of career retirement pay in order to receive veterans? disability compensation. Many disappointing years passed before Congress even acknowledged that the offset between the two benefits was unfair. Then, for a number of years, majorities in both the House and Senate proclaimed the unfairness should end, but still did nothing substantive to resolve the problem.



Now, measures have been taken to slowly ease the offset by phasing out the unfair law that bans concurrent receipt, but only for a portion of disabled military retirees. The move is in the right direction, but far from adequate. All career retirees should receive all the benefits they have earned immediately. This unfair law should also be repealed for everyone affected by it; there should be no eligibility criteria, based on a veteran?s level of disability, to determine entitlement to justice. What is unfair to a veteran who is 50 percent disabled is equally unfair to a disabled veteran with a 40 percent disability.



Congress and the President must fix the concurrent receipt problem now, and for good. The issue will not go away as long as the injustice continues.



Support a full repeal of the unfair prohibition on the concurrent receipt of military retired pay and VA disability compensation for all disabled career military retirees.

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[Gimpy]

Bush Budget Shortchanges America's Veterans


Even as middle-class Americans are struggling to achieve financial security, the Bush budget ignores the very real challenges they are facing. It fails to create jobs, and instead creates record deficits. It shortchanges education, health care, veterans' benefits, and small business. Instead of helping working families, it provides additional tax breaks for those who need them least, and billions of dollars in new giveaways to HMOs and other wealthy corporate interests.

Proposes new increases in the cost of veterans' health care.
The President's budget raises health care costs for over 1 million veterans, increasing drug co-payments and imposing new enrollment fees that will cost veterans over $2 billion over five years. For Priority 7 and 8 veterans, the budget imposes a $250 enrollment fee to receive healthcare and doubles their pharmacy co-pay from $7 to $15. This will result in driving about 200,000 veterans out of the system, and discouraging another 1 million veterans from enrolling. Every year since taking office, the Bush Administration has proposed to increase the cost of health care for veterans.

Fails to provide meaningful investment in veterans' health care.

Right now, 30,000 veterans are waiting six months or longer for an appointment at VA hospitals. But the President's budget includes an increase of less 2 percent - not enough to maintain current services and nearly $3.0 billion less than veterans' organizations agree is needed. And over five years, the budget for veterans' health care programs is $13.5 billion below the amount needed to maintain services at current levels. The Bush budget also does nothing to reverse the impact of the across-the-board cut in veterans' funding eliminating health care services for 26,500 veterans that was part of the omnibus.

Slashes funding for long-term care for America's veterans.

The Bush Administration's budget cuts $294 million from nursing home services for veterans, reducing the number of patients treated by more than 8,000.

Refuses to end the Disabled Veterans' Tax.

The President's budget fails to repeal the Disabled Veterans Tax, which forces disabled military retirees to give up one dollar of their pension for every dollar of disability pay they receive. The budget continues to require two-thirds of military retirees with service-connected disabilities - nearly 400,000 people -- to continue to pay the Disabled Veterans Tax.

Does not end the Survivor Benefits Tax.

The Survivor Benefit Plan penalizes aging survivors, mostly widows, of the veterans of our county. Military retirees pay premiums for years and anticipate that upon their death, their spouse will receive 55 percent of their benefit. But when their survivor reaches 62, a Social Security "offset" drops the benefit to a mere 35 percent. The Bush budget forces the spouses of military retirees to continue to pay this unfair tax.

Fails to expedite disability claims and threatens all veterans' benefits.

The President's budget includes only $25 million to increase the processing of disability claims - far less than what is needed. Today, there are 335,000 veterans awaiting a decision on their disability claims. About 84,000 of those veterans have been waiting six months or more for their decision. Despite this backlog, the budget makes it harder for veterans to get their disability, education, pension, housing and employment benefits by cutting 4% of the people who administer veterans' benefits.

Cuts 50,000 VA home loans.

The Bush budget cuts the number of VA home loans for veterans by 50,000 - denying VA home loans to veterans who have taken out a VA home loan in the past.

Cuts in medical and prosthetic research.

The President budget calls for a $50 million cut in award-winning VA medical and prosthetic research. This would set the research grant program back six years to FY 1999 funding levels, just as many of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are coming home with terrible injuries that may require this expertise.


Health services for Gulf War & Iraqi veterans fail to meet growing need.

The President's budget calls for only about 6% more for the Gulf War programs to provide health-related services to veterans of the Gulf War, as well as veterans now returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. For example, funds for counseling for post-traumatic stress disorders will increase by only 8%, and readjustment counseling will increase only 3%. To meet the needs of returning troops, these programs will have to increase significantly more.

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Look forward to FOUR MORE YEARS of this BULL$HIT if GEE-W is re-elected!