One of the thing older veterans worry about is being overlooked in the face of the new wave of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. They brought up their concerns to House Veterans Chair Bob Filner when he met with vets in Rochester on Monday, according to the Post-Bulletin.
A letter in this week's Caledonia Argus suggests that the teams of people working for vets in the First aren't going to let that happen :
Tireless effort results in VA claim resolution
To the Editor:My husband and I wish to publicly recognize Robert Gross, the Veterans Service representative for Houston County for his tireless work regarding a VA claim. Not only did he file the claim for us he never gave up and helped bring it to resolution.
We also appreciate Bob Laguban, a claims representative for the Department of Veterans Affairs in St. Paul. Last but certainly not least we acknowledge U.S. Congressman Tim Walz and his assistant Chad Larimer for their intervention and efforts on our behalf. We are fortunate to have Mr. Gross, Mr. Laguban, Congressman Walz and Mr. Larimer as our county, state, and federal representatives. They helped my husband secure the compensation he was due.
As a military officer and Viet Nam veteran his service disability has finally been recognized and rewarded. It is clear that veterans are important to these four men. We are grateful to them.
Chief Warrant Officer Richard N. Penrose, Ret.
and wife Gerry Penrose
Caledonia, Minn.
Not that we should dismiss the magnitude of the needs of the most recent wounded warriors. Today's Washington Post reports on the findings of the Dole-Shalala Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors in Overhaul Urged for Veteran Care:
The panel issued six broad recommendations intended to transform a troubled system for military health care and veterans' assistance that has left some injured soldiers languishing for years and resulted in inequitable and inconsistent disability benefits.
The proposals include creating "recovery coordinators" who would help each seriously injured service member navigate the complexities of care, rehabilitation and disability; giving the Department of Veterans Affairs sole responsibility for determining payments for wounded veterans; and taking aggressive steps to prevent and treat post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. . . .
Six recommendations were selected rather than a long laundry list:
Shalala said the panel opted against a "laundry list" of suggestions and instead narrowed its report to the six recommendations with a common goal of creating a "simplified path to recovery."
The proposals include establishing an interactive benefits Web site called "My eBenefits," modeled after MySpace, which would provide customized information for service members and veterans about their health care and benefits. The panel called for increased funding to support families of the wounded.
The proposal to overhaul the disability system would end the current "confusing" structure in which the military services and VA issue parallel and often conflicting disability ratings, commissioners said. They also recommended basing the VA's payments to veterans in part on their quality of life, not just on the work-related effects of their physical and mental injuries. "This is a very important change, because in the past it was just based on your disability," Dole said.
Read the recommendations here. There's a transcript of an interesting WaPo online discussion of the report and recommendations here.
The purpose of Tim Walz's coming trip to Afghanistan and Iraq with other public servants charged with setting veterans policy will be to get a close look at the process that wounded warriors go through as they receive treatment. The report recommends ways of smoothing out the transfer of care from military facilities to the VA system.
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