Veterans Day-Nov. 11-marks the day we honor those who have served in our armed forces. But there is much we could do the other 364 days of the year to make that day more meaningful.
All veterans should be guaranteed Veterans Administration (VA) health care. Many veterans are excluded from receiving VA care and, even for the many that are covered, fees and co-pays put treatment out of reach. Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans who do not sign up for VA services within five years of being discharged become ineligible to enroll. That sounds like a long time, but for many who fought in other wars, it has been 10, 20 and even 30 years before the administration's services are sought. That's because post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) doesn't manifest itself like a broken leg. Often, veterans suffering from PTSD self-medicate with alcohol and/or drugs. Most veterans believe that they have already paid for their health care and it will be provided-as promised-when they need to rely on it. But this is not the case.
A recent referendum shows Illinois voters overwhelmingly support a level of quality care for their veterans, but still nothing has been done to provide it. On the February 2008 primary ballot more than 90 percent of Illinois voters supported a non-binding referendum calling for veterans to receive full VA benefits. If they had been receiving what they were promised, the ballot initiative would not have been necessary.
More needs to be done to combat the disgraceful epidemic of homelessness among veterans. While this country has spent more than $600 billion on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is immoral that we do not spend the small amount more it would take to end homelessness among veterans. Estimates of the percentage of homeless veterans range from 25 to 35 percent of the total homeless population, even though veterans only make up 11 percent of the population. There are many reasons for this, including difficulties accessing health care, rough transitions from the military to civilian life, the effects of combat trauma and a lack of job skills. All of these are services that fall under the VA's responsibilities.
More needs to be done to support vets suffering from the "signature" diagnoses of Iraq and Afghanistan: PTSD and traumatic brain injury (TBI). In the past few years, the VA has failed to spend millions of dollars already allocated to provide services to veterans with mental illness. A complete overhaul of services and a full accounting of funds are in order.
More needs to be done to address the unique needs of female veterans. The VA was set up in a period when almost all veterans were male and it is taking entirely too long for them to realign services to meet the needs of female veterans. Women must have the same level of service as provided for men, and access to special services, such as treatment for sexual trauma.
The VA needs to overhaul the claims process, characterized by bureaucratic delay and malfeasance. Applications have taken years to process; some have taken more than a decade. While the VA has repeatedly committed to cleanup the multi-year backlog of cases, it still exists. Veterans die before their applications are considered. Many veterans are calling for "presumptive benefits." They believe that if the government were to grant the benefits upon application-assuming the record showed the correct diagnosis and military records indicated that the veteran served where he or she claimed-then the backlog would disappear. Put the onus on the VA-the responsible agency-instead of burdening the ailing veteran.
The difficult issues facing veterans on Veterans' Day 2008 are real. Many of us are fighting to win what we were led to believe were benefits guaranteed to us. We join you in celebrating those who have served our country and those who have died for it. And, during the rest of the year, we would welcome you joining us in our struggle to honor veterans with the care and benefits that they have earned.
Dr. Bruce Parry, a combat infantryman who served in Vietnam, is the Chair of the Coalition of Veterans Organization, san activist network fighting for the needs of veterans. He is a resident of Wicker Park. For more information, go to www.CoalitionofVets.org or call him at call 773-243-2335.