Issue Position: Veterans

Issue Position

Issue Position: Veterans

Those who have served in uniform deserve our deepest gratitude. Beyond gratitude, we, as a nation, have made a promise to our veterans that needs to be kept. While we can never fully repay our veterans for their sacrifices, we must express our appreciation of their service and remain firm in our commitment to their health and well-being.

VA Benefits

The Department of Veterans Affairs has a backlog of hundreds of thousands of claims. Each claim was made by a veteran. Many of these individuals have been waiting years to receive the care that they were promised. The backlog existed long before American forces entered Iraq, but the current conflicts have generated far more claims than the Department is processing.

VA employees are doing their best to keep pace with demand, but the system lacks the resources to allow them to process claims quickly, fairly, and accurately. The VA needs a plan to handle the influx of combat veterans seeking care now and in the years to come so the federal government can promptly serve veterans and their families.

The veterans of Illinois, like the veterans of all states, have exhibited tremendous leadership, courage, and bravery to secure America and its interests. America owes it to them to ease the burdens of their service and to foster a seamless transition back into civilian life.

Jobs and Education

We must keep the promises we made to past generations of service members. That is why I introduced the Welcome Home G.I. Bill. Like the original G.I. Bill passed at the end of World War II, it will provide a package of benefits for returning veterans to ease their transition to civilian life. This bill will provide for health coverage for veterans who have no other insurance, as well as assistance with down payments on homes. It also dramatically increases veterans' educational benefits. When our men and women in uniform return home, it is our responsibility to see that they have the chance to benefit from the freedom they fought for and to provide them the resources to build successful lives as civilians.

Healthcare

The shock and trauma that a wounded soldier faces on the battlefield often follows him or her home, continuing to adversely affect their lives. To allow these men and women to become casualties of the system when they get home is unacceptable. Any Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine wounded while fighting his or her country's battles is entitled to the very best medical care and rehabilitation from the Department of Defense, the VA, or the private sector.

The devoted staffs of the Department of Defense Medical Centers and the VA are providing excellent care in many regards, though there is still much room for improvement. The VA was simply not prepared for the influx of injured veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. If Congress and the VA work together, if we take a hard look into the future and establish a realistic long-term plan, and if we commit to the funding needed to ensure quality care for our veterans, we can and we will ensure that those who have served America will be well served.

Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are quickly becoming the signature wound of the war in Iraq. The advances we have made in body armor and other protective measures for our troops mean that, thankfully, more soldiers are surviving attacks that in past wars would have been fatal. We have not been able to protect soldiers from the concussion of the powerful blasts of improvised explosive devices. Body armor may prevent shrapnel from causing a fatal wound, but it cannot stop the concussion.

I introduced the Military and Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Act. This legislation creates a TBI program to ensure the provision of all necessary services for TBI victims within the Veterans Affairs system and at our nation's finest rehabilitation facilities. It also expands TBI research in the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to better understand and improve treatment for brain injuries.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

As in past wars, we are seeing many cases of what is now known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in our returning soldiers. We now understand that a seemingly healthy veteran who has returned to his or her civilian life is still at risk for developing PTSD and that nearly one-third of returning veterans either have or will develop PTSD. I've conducted a series of round table events across Illinois to hear firsthand from recently retired veterans suffering from PTSD and from the Veterans Affairs (VA) staff and counselors on whom they rely.

I authored an amendment that prohibits the VA from revoking or reducing a veteran's disability compensation for PTSD based on a review unless the claim was the direct result of fraud by the applicant. Just as we are obliged to treat physical injuries, we must treat the life-changing psychological wounds our soldiers incur in combat.

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