Shareware Supreme Volume 6 #1/swsii.zip/swsii/010/VFWMAY92.ZIP/VFWMAY92.TXT

Internet Message Format | 1992-05-13 | 13KB

From The Command Post of the May 1992 issue of VFW magazine....

  Chief tell Congress-----Keep VA for Veterans.

  by Robert E. Wallace
  VFW Commander-in-Chief

  Following are highlights of Commander-in -Chief Wallace's statement before
 a joint hearing of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees during the
 Washington Conference on March 3.

    Last year, my predecessor came before this body and spoke of troubled times.
 I come before you today convinced that troubled times continue and am sad to
 say the plight of veterans has not improved. We are, unfortunately, faced with
 a VA that has all but eliminated meaningful dialogue between itself and veter-
 ans service organizations.

    We as veterans do not expect all of our recommendations to be adopted by the
 VA, but we fully expect our voice to be heard. After all, this is the very de-
 partment tasked with the responisbility of serving as our primary advocate.

 VA BUDGET:

    We are also facing a VA budget that is still woefully short in providing the
 necessary funds to ensure that veterans receive the entitlements and benefits
 they have earned.

    We believe it only right that the VA budget provide enough money for the VA
 to operate a first-class medical care system and an entitlement and benefits
 program that is responsive to our nation's veterans.

    We cannot accept a budget that requires  VA to seek financial support from
 other government agencies in order to carry out its mandated programs. Nor do
 we condone a budget that operates to deny veterans access to their own health
 care system.

    On Jan. 29, 1992, President George Bush proposed a VA budget of $34.3
 billion. This is a net increase of $700 million over FY 1992 levels. With re-
 spect to medical programs, the President is requesting almost $1 billion more
 that the last fiscal year. According to VA, this medical care account increase
 will allow VA to maintain its current level of services.

    We do not agree. Some 97% of the proposed FY 1993 medical care increase goes
 toward staffing increases, pay raises, and to compensate for the effects of
 inflation. There is, in fact, no money to pay for needed improvements.

    Under the budget as proposed by the Administration, there will still be long
 waits, delayed treatment, and, what is totally unacceptable to the membership
 of the VFW, denied treatment.

  TAX LEVY ON VETERANS:

    Hidden in the President's proposal is a legislative intiative which we be-
 lieve strikes at the very heart of the VA compensation program. For the first
 time, VA proposes to levy a means tested co-payment requirement on service
 connected veterans rated 40 % or less for treatment of non-service connected
 conditions.

    This is nothing more than a tax levy on America's heroes. If this shameful
 effort succeeds, why should we believe the same tax will not be imposed on
 even more seriously disabled service connected  veterans next year? We stren-
 uously oppose this co-payment and will fight its implementation with total
 resolve.

 SEPARATE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE:

    As a result of budget laws recently enacted, we recognize that the competi-
 tion for the dwindling pool of federal dollars has become even more fierce. We
 know this to be especially true within the Appropriations Subcommittee on VA,
 HUD, and Independent Agencies.

    In order to compete with others, and to assure a thorough review of the
 needs of the VA, the VFW strongly advocates the establishment of separate
 appropriations subcommittees in both the Senate and House exclusively for VA.

    With a budget in excess of $30 billion, the employment of over 253,000
 individuals, and the free world's largest integrated health care system, we
 believe it only stands to reason that funding issues for this large and complex
 cabinet-level department would be best addressed by such exclusive appropria-
 tions subcommittees.

    At this point, I would like to commend Rep. Bob Stump (R-Ariz.) of the
 House Veterans Affairs Committee (HVAC), along with former cmmittee member,
 Gerald B. Solomon (R-N.Y.), for introducing H.R. 204 which authorizes the
 Committee on Appropriations to create a new subcommittee on veterans affairs.

    I would also like to commend HVAC members, Reps. Doug Applegate (D-Ohio),
 Michael Bilirakis (R-Fla.) and John Hammerschmidt (R-Ark.), for supporting
 H.R. 204 as co-sponsors. I urge remaining HVAC members to co-sponsor this res-
 olution. I also urge members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee to lead
 in this fight by introducing and supporting legislation calling for the crea-
 tion of this new subcommittee.

 RETIRED PAY/VA COMPENSATION:

    The VFW continues to support legislation that would eliminate the present
 dollar-for-dollar offset of military retired pay when the retiree is also in
 receipt of VA disability compensation.

    This is an issue that is not going to disappear and should be addressed.
 We believe it is a grave injustice to require several hundred thousand disabled
 military retirees to literally finance their own disability compensation out
 of hard earned retired pay.

 FULL FUNDING FOR VA INITIATIVES:

    Another VFW concern stems from the White House/Congressional Summit Budget
 Agreement. As we understand it, any new legislative initiative must receive its
 funding from existing VA programs. If this is indeed the case, it is nothing
 more than a "rob Peter to pay Paul" system.

    VA should never be placed in the position where improvement, innovation and
 creativity are intentionally stifled, and where needed improvements can only
 come about at the expense of existing meritorious programs.

    We strongly support the full funding of worthy new VA initiatives without
 the necessity to diminish or eliminate existing VA programs. It is the only
 right thing to do.

 COLAS:

    This past January service connected disabled veterans did receive a cost-of
 -living adjustment (COLA) on time. However, once again, this increase came
 close to being delayed. Again, we emphasize the need for early introduction
 and passage of a COLA bill for these most deserving veterans.

    Because we strongly support annual congressional review of the compensation
 program, we believe early consideration --- and not indexing --- is the best
 and more appropriate way to avoid delay.

 EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS:

    When we appeared before this Joint Committee last March, VFW expressed its
 deep concern over the Administration's softening committment toward meeting
 the employment and training needs of America's veterans.

    If the Administration's FY '93 budget request of $170.8 million for veterans
 employment is a measure of that commitment, then it is clear that we were
 correct in our assessment.

    DOL proposes to operate the highly successful Disabled Veterans Outreach
 Program (DVOP) on $77.6 million, an amount that would cause elimination of
 244 positions. It proposes to operate the complementary Local Veterans Employ-
 ment Representatives (LVERs) program on $71.6 million with 203 positions going
 unfunded or eliminated.

    Aside from the fact that DOL proposes to fund these programs at levels well
 below what wa mandated by this body, the agency apparently thinks that things
 aren't so bad out there for veterans. Nothing could be further from the truth.

    The unemployment rate among veterans is far too high. For the month of Jan.
 the rate for vets ages 35 to 44 was 7.8%. Among younger veterans, particularly
 those 20 to 24, the rate tops out at 22.8%.

    WIth the military services discharging nearly 300,000 service members ann-
 ually, it becomes clear that it is of utmost importance the DVOP and LVER pro-
 grams be funded fully at the congressionally mandated level.

 JOB TRAINING:

    While we are on the subject of employment, I want to comment briefly on
 the "Job Training 2000" initiative recently announced by the White House--
 with much fanfare I might add.

    While some element of "Job Training 2000" may have merit, many questions
 are raised in several key areas. For starters, no attempt has been made by
 program designers to define the relationship between State Employment Service
 Agencies (SESA) and Private Industry Councils (PICs). This concerns us not
 only because the DVOP and LVER programs are administered by the states, but
 more so that SESAs---the real experts---have been excluded from the early
 stages of planning.

    Specifically, we urge you to call early hearings for the purpose of possibly
 expanding the representation of PICs and to allow veteran service organizations
 and others to have input in all future planning.

 FLAG AMENDMENT:

    VFW continues to call for legislation providing for initiaion of a constitu-
 tional amendment process to protect the American flag from desecration.

    All of you here today know our views on this matter. I will only reiterate
 pride in the symbol of our single identity as a nation --- the American flag.

    Again, we are not asking you, the members of Congress, to make the decision
 as to whether the flag should be protected from desecration, but rather to
 allow citizens to make that important decision through the ratification pro-
 cess. There is no doubt in my mind as to how VFW and VFW Auxiliary members
 will vote --- a loud and firm YES!

 RURAL HEALTH CARE INITIATIVE:

    Let me turn now to an issue that galvanized and captured the attention of
 your veteran constituents more than any other in recent memory. I'm referring
 to the so-called Rural Health Care Initiative (RHCI) which seems to have had
 its origin in an informal agreement between the secretaries of veterans affairs
 and health and human services.

    Today, with VA visibly faltering, we are suddenly confronted with a scheme
 that is rooted in folly and fantasy. We are asked to believe that VA has mi-
 raculously rebounded enough to accomodate citizens who were heretofore being
 improperly served by the programs designed for them. There are those who accuse
 veterans of disdaining to lend a helping hand to others, but the long history
 of service and sacrifice of veterans puts the lie to this accusation.

    Simply states, we call on VA to put its health care delivery house in order
 before declaring there is room to treat out nation's general population. The
 cart has been put before the horse. It is as basic as that.

    Fortunately for America's veterans, political considerations were set aside
 and sound judgment prevailed in a 91 to 3 vote in the Senate to stop this ill-
 advised program. VFW personally thanks all of you who heard the united voices
 of veterans and voted to terminate the RHCI.

 VA ELIGIBILITY REFORM:

    I have not come before you simply to focus on our objections. We want to be
 contributors to the process of setting things right. We believe the key to
 resolving this matter is a simple, straightforward revision of VA eligibility
 reform criteria for access to VA health care.

    Fundamental to th process is that every veteran have mandated access to a
 full continuum of VA health care. All service connected veterans including
 World War I veterans, those exposed to radiation and herbicides, POW/MIAs, and
 those non-service connected veterans who are financially indigent must be
 automatically entitled to care. Needless to say, appropriate funding to address
 thei4r actual health care needs is essential.

    Such an approach would help to make the VA a more viable health care de-
 livery system, and would allow it to live up to its tremendous potentials as
 the nation's premier health care provider. It would also mean that no veteran
 would ever again be turned away from a VA hospital when in need of care.

    Once eligibility reform has been implemented, then and only then should we
 consider the inclusion of others in the VA system.

 H.R. 1300 ---
 "UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE":

    No sooner did we get the RHCI behind us than a more serious threat arose.
 Many legislative initiatives have been introduced addressing the issue of
 national health care.

    While the VFW has no objection to a program providing for the health care
 needs of all Americans, we are unalterably opposed to any national health care
 system that would in any way undermine the operation of mission of VA.

    One such proposal, H.R. 1300 -- the "Universal Health Care Act of 1991" --
 does just that.

    We are prepared to fight with all our resources on this or any other initia-
 tive that would deprive veterans of their health care system. We believe VA can
 make an invaluable contribution to any national health care system, but must
 never be supplanted by it.

░░▒▒▒▓▓▓ Downloaded from "OUR TOP PRIORITY" POW/MIA BBS [phone] ▓▓▓▒▒▒░░░