Veterans
Dan’s Promise to Our Patriots
Dan Seals’ Commitment to Honoring the Service and Sacrifice of
Veterans and Their Families
Assisting Our Veterans and Their Families
Some have characterized the delivery of care and support to our veterans and their families as a “challenge,” While this is accurate, it does not adequately capture our task. Caring for veterans and their families is an obligation, a responsibility, a reckoning.
On average, the U.S. has maintained 145,000 soldiers in Iraq (active, Reserve, and National Guard) for any given month since 2003. Brookings Institute, Iraq Index (September 2009). The number of troops actually subjected to the war balloons, however, when monthly rotations and troop replacements are considered. There remain 124,000 troops in Iraq, while 68,000 work and battle in Afghanistan even as U.S. generals seek yet more soldiers to stabilize that country. By autumn of this year, 31, 529 troops had been wounded in Iraq and over 4,400 in Afghanistan since deployments began in 2001. These numbers, however, exclude psychological injuries. The non-profit RAND Corporation estimated in 2008 that some 320,000 U.S. troops have suffered serious brain injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan, with 300,000 experiencing major depression and/or post-traumatic stress. These figures confound the mind—returning the terms “shock & awe” to their proper context.
Conservative economic analysis by Nobel economics laureate Joseph Stiglitz projects the cost of providing disability and health care for wounded Iraq War veterans alone will exceed $600 billion. Fighting a war is expensive and so is mending our fighters. The obviousness of this link, however, seems to have been lost on many members of Congress. Most Americans are astonished to learn that the Senate has failed to pass the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) budget 20 times in the last 23 years, most recently in September 2009, notwithstanding the undeniable urgent need.
To end these frequent, feckless disruptions and denials of veteran care, President Obama signed into law the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009 this past October. From now on, beginning in 2011, the president’s budget to Congress will contain advance appropriations specifically to fund VA medical services, medical support, and medical facilities for the given budget year and the next. Soon, Congressional politics played in the name of sober purse-string management will have nothing to do with the VA budget for medical care. The president, with supporting documentation from the VA , will determine the veteran care funding needs, post that number in the budget, and the appropriation will automatically follow. No more rationing of care to our veterans while Congress and the White House hash out a budget.
The new law in a sense alters Congress’ constitutional ‘Power of the Purse.’ But given the havoc wrought on veteran health care by protracted budget debates, the trade-off is welcome: a great improvement in the VA’s access to resources at the expense of harmful Congressional grandstanding.
Free of the budget debate albatross, Dan believes Congress can work constructively with the VA, to provide for the best health care for veterans. Compassion and ideas can now direct the design of veteran care and benefits.
Dan wants Congress to take this opportunity to create solutions for suffering veterans through:
(1) Expanding benefits to cover expanding needs;
(2) Improving access to these benefits; and
(3) Assisting the VA to close gaps and identify best practices
(1) Expanding Benefits to Cover Expanding Needs
Improve Mental Healthcare for Veterans
While improvements in medical and military technology have minimized fatalities in the Iraq War, they have also contributed to an unprecedented number of veterans returning home with limb and brain injuries. A landmark RAND Study estimated that 620,000 returning veterans may have incurred a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or both.
Nearly 20 percent of returning combat veterans may have a TBI. In fact, they are now so common that they are considered the signature injuries of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Generally suffered after being attacked by an improvised explosive device (IED), TBIs can lead to a wide range of long-term disabling conditions, including memory loss, seizures, depression, and problems with coordination. TBI injured veterans do not merely convalesce at a hospital and re-enter normal life; these injuries often mean years of physical and mental rehabilitation and continued sacrifice as family members leave their former lives behind to become full time caretakers. [Invisible Wounds of War, RAND, April 2008; War Veterans' Concussions Are Often Overlooked, NY Times, 8/26/08; Veterans of Foreign Wars, 2007].
Long and repeated deployments raise the risk of service members incurring blast and combat stress injuries (PTSD). Already, our nation has witnessed annual rates of suicide, substance abuse, and divorce increase for those who serve our nation.
Dan understands the significance of these injuries, what they mean for our nation’s service members and their families, and the urgent need to address them appropriately.
Dan Supports:
Building a Federal Support Program for Veterans Based on the Illinois Warrior Assistance Program
The Illinois Warrior Assistance Program was designed to address the inadequate federal response to the mental health needs of our veterans. Inspired by our state’s own path breaking law, Dan supports federal provisions for-.
Mandatory Mental Health and Brain Injury Screenings for Veterans
Almost 20% of Iraq veterans report some symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury, yet many cases go untreated or under-diagnosed. Though the Department of Defense (DoD) has implemented a series of pre- and post- deployment mental health screenings, many veterans continue to struggle with undiagnosed cases of TBI and PTSD injuries. Moreover, our government continues to struggle with properly diagnosing and treating service members who exhibit symptoms of TBI, PTSD, and depression. Dan believes we need to ensure the mental well-being of our veterans by mandating confidential, in-person screenings by medical professionals for all returning service members exposed to IED blasts. [RAND, 4/17/08; IAVA]
A Confidential Phone Support Service for Veterans
Dan supports creating a federal hotline for veterans based on the model created by the Illinois Warrior Assistance Program. This 24 hour, toll free service will be staffed by health professionals trained to assist veterans suffering from PTSD and TBI related symptoms. The confidential nature of the service will make it easier for veterans to overcome the unfortunate stigmas associated with PTSD/TBI, as well as with the incidents of sexual assault afflicting female service members at an increasing rate
Added Funding for Qualified Mental Health Professionals
Dan supports providing much needed funding to hire and train more mental health professionals to handle the growing numbers of veterans suffering from PTSD and TBI. He supports efforts such as the Army’s plan to add more than 400 behavioral health specialists to address the problems inherent with increasing deployment and a growing operations tempo. [US Army, 9/16/09].
And to this end, Dan knows that few people can help veterans as well as those who have lived through theses challenges. By establishing specialized scholarships for veterans who have served in combat zones to become mental and behavioral health specialists, he believes that our nation will be able to both provide excellent career opportunities for veterans as well as capitalize on their combat experience.
(2) Increasing Access to Benefits
Focus on Coordination, Communication and Composition in Providing Benefits
According to the VA’s Office of Inspector General, the Department of Veterans Affairs failed to send benefit packages to nearly 37,000 eligible National Guard and Reserve members who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. Errors of this magnitude indicate failures at many levels, likely between both Defense and Veterans Affairs.
Women comprise a significant and growing portion of our active military, Guard, and Reserve forces. Their numbers represent 14% of the military. The needs of female veterans are co-extensive with their contributions. Female soldiers are suffering on the job from sexual assault, and at home from a devastating divorce rate. The VA has been too slow to adapt its services to meet the needs of so many veterans.
Dan Supports
Transferring Records Electronically
Veterans should receive their medical and service records electronically upon discharge. This will save time, reduce costs, and improve care. By developing a common language for the electronic records of the VA and DoD, the two systems will become compatible and provide a seamless transition where information is transferred efficiently to save both money and lives.
Mandating VA Healthcare Enrollment
Those separating from military service should be required to both enroll (unless they choose to opt out) in the VA health care system so that prompt medical services are available to them later should symptoms emerge months or years after they have left the military.
Beginning VA Disability Payments immediately based on DoD Medical Board Findings
The current VA Disability Pension claims system has up to an 18-month backlog. This means that Veterans, who have already been evaluated by a DoD Medical Board and discharged, may have to wait 18 months without any income before they start receiving VA pensions. Dan supports ongoing efforts to rectify the VA and DOD ratings boards in order to expedite veterans’ pension and disability payments.
Improving Outreach to the National Guard and Reserves
More than 700,000 National Guardsmen and Reservists have been activated since 2001; it is vital to not only bring their TRICARE military health plan coverage in line with their active-duty counterparts, but also to ensure that these service members get their entitled benefits and have adequate time to readjust to civilian life. [CBS News, 2/12/08; McClatchy Newspapers, 7/23/08]
Modernizing the VA to Reflect the Current Force Structure of our Military
Female Marines have a divorce rate three times higher than the civilian average. The specter of sexual assault also looms for military women, as we saw a 26 percent increase in reported assaults in 2008 over 2007. Dan will work to ensure that VA facilities are better equipped to deal with the health and social needs of female veterans. [Women’s Policy, Inc., 9/8/08]
Promoting Public-Private Partnerships
The VA can make better use of its personnel and financial resources by partnering with private entities that have an expertise in certain health services. For example, the Illinois Warrior Assistance Program uses a TBI screening tool developed at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC). In addition to providing the tool, the RIC team also traveled around the state of Illinois to train those who would be screening returning service members. [RIC, 1/29/08]
Ensuring Caregivers Have the Tools They Need
Dan supports ongoing efforts in Congress to provide support to family caregivers of severely wounded service members. By ensuring they have the respite care, mental health counseling, technical assistance, health care coverage and financial support they need, Dan knows we can guarantee better care for those who risked life and limb for their nation. [S. 801, H.R. 3155] (sadly languishing in the Senate since September, and July, respectively)
(3) Assisting the VA to Close Gaps and Identify Best Practices
Actively Promote the Best Veteran Care, Unfettered by the Budget Process
Lawmakers will soon be unburdened of their inhibiting budget responsibilities by the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009. As described above, this is a law that rises above the political fray and allows members of Congress to do the right thing on an annual basis where veterans are concerned. Were the Act to apply to the 2009 budget, S, 801 and H.R. 3155 would probably be law, not pending indefinitely.
Accordingly, Dan urges Congress to now freely serve in a consultative role to the VA. Throughout its history, Congress has been an able investigator, fact-finder, and holder of hearings. Congress can and should use its power and proficiency to highlight the needs of our constituent heroes, signal where services are falling short, and show how to implement the highest standards of care. Congress has the ability to identify problems and solutions in veteran care and the voice to articulate them. And now it has the flexibility to exercise both.
