Adirondack Daily Enterprise - Stefanik Plugs for Veteran Caregivers

News Article

By Joe LoTemplio

North Country Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is looking to improve benefits for caregivers of seriously wounded military veterans. Her opponents feel it is too little, too late.

Stefanik, R-Willsboro, recently testified at a House Veterans Affairs Health Subcommittee hearing on her legislation, the Support Our Military Caregivers Act.

The legislation was introduced by Stefanik following a meeting with a constituent from Alexandria Bay who shared the challenges she faces as the sole caregiver of a wounded warrior.

The congresswoman told the committee that military caregivers are often left out when discussing veterans issues, yet they are an essential component of the communal and family support system for disabled vets.

They are usually spouses and other family members who spend their days transporting and caring for disabled veterans in order to provide an environment that enhances their everyday lives, Stefanik told the committee.

Program backlog

The 2010 Family Caregiver Program, which made veterans injured in the line of duty eligible for a package of benefits that includes access to a primary caregiver, has had problems, Stefanik said.

"Unfortunately, the Department of Veterans Affairs has had a difficult time managing the high demand of Family Caregiver enrollees, which is much larger than originally accounted for during implementation, she told the committee.

"According to the Government Accountability Office, VA officials estimated that they would receive 4,000 enrollees and staffed the program based on this estimate.

"However, in the first few months of implementation, there were over 15,000 enrollees."

Delays

Also, VA medical centers lack sufficient caregiver support coordinators and the necessary clinical staff to carry out medical assessments for eligibility for this program, Stefanik said.

"These implementation issues have led to a delay in both the application and the appeals process," she said.

"Application deadlines are not being met by their own internal standards, and the staff is still shorthanded. These issues are not only unacceptable, but I believe they are preventable."

Third-party review

Stefanik's bill would use funds already appropriated for the current review and appeals process to allow an objective, independent party to conduct external, clinical reviews.

The bill would ensure that new or modified processes are "veteran-centric, outcomes-based and continually improved," Stefanik said.

A third party would work within the VA to streamline claims and reduce the caregiver backlog through a more clinical analysis rather than benefits adjudication.

The VA would maintain this third-party guidance until appeals are streamlined and the backlog is down to an acceptable rate and addresses the issues highlighted by the GAO.

"Military caregivers are silent heroes in our communities and deserve the respect and benefits proportionate to their significant contributions," Stefanik said.

Timing "political"

Democrat Mike Derrick, a retired U.S. Army colonel, said improvements for military families should have been made a long time ago.

"Elise Stefanik has been in office for some time; why has she waited until now to introduce this legislation?

"The timing makes it seem as if it's more intended to enhance her political standing than make a real difference for military families," Derrick said. "That would certainly be consistent with the current Washington, D.C., way of doing things.

"As a retired U.S. Army colonel and veteran, I bring a better perspective. My friends live this issue. I will always make every aspect of veterans care a top priority for the 57,000 veterans in this district."

Single-payer system

Matt Funiciello, the Green Party candidate who owns a bakery, said poor military veterans care is part of a failed system of overall health care in America.

"Despite Elise Stefanik's desperate attempt to pander to soldiers, she is not really representing them," Funiciello said. "They deserve so much better than this. All working-class Americans do."

America is "the laughingstock" internationally when it comes to health care, Funiciello said, and allowing a system to persist that does next to nothing for millions of veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and other serious long-term-care issues is unacceptable.

A single-payer system would be less expensive and cover everyone in the country, Funiciello said.

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