So we are closing in on one month from the glorious day of change. Yes it has only been a month, so much has happened in so short a time, continued economic meltdown (Thanks supply-sider kooks!), terrorist resurgence in India, disintegrating situation in Afghanistan, bloody status quo in Iraq.
So maybe there is a reason Veterans Issues have all bt vanished from the news shows and apparently from the attention of the President-Elect. Admittedly there is quite a bit going on.
However, many of the issues that face Veterans are pretty easy fixes. Rolling back the ultra restrictive Gates Pentagon definitions of combat injuries (disabilities ratings depend on this), arguing for full funding of traumatic brain injury research and prosthetic limb replacements would be a simple way to start. Pioneering a mental health program that allows all combat Vets to seek mental healthcare services off base at government expense would reach the many who suffer from PTSD (the major cause of veteran homelessness, job loss and long term health risks) but cannot access an on-base facility or fear the stigma that so often accompaies on-base treatment.
Expand tricare coverage to all who are honorably discharged. If they served give them the healthcare they deserve. By expanding tricare Vets could go to any doctor or hospital regardless of their ability to reach a VA facility. This ounce of prevention would pay back pounds in cure, that cure being the savings in VA funds in the long run as Vets seek preventive care rather than emergency care at the VA when they finally get sick enough.
Build on the Webb GI Bill to offer free college not just to Vets but their children as well. Many people would ask why the children of Vets should get free educational benefits. Many industries from academia to the medical industry offer large stipends to cover the educational expenses of the children of the workers in those industries. It is a simple economic move. Your average law professor or doctor is a hard person to replace and they can command a much larger remunerative package in the corporate world. Today's Vets can do the same. To keep our best and attract the best we must offer competitive benefits packages. On the flip side many reservists and active duty folks were pulled from or stop lossed out of lucrative careers in the private sector. Their earnings suffered and one way to pay them back would be to offer tuition vouchers to their children. A reservist with a Masters degree probably isn't going to take advantage of the GI Bill ad he may have more than one child so transfer of those benefits only goes so far.
The government estimates that 25% of the homeless population in the US is made up of Veterans. as the economic crisis worsens the Veteran population will be even more disproportionately represented in the homeless statistics. Outreach and proactive programs must be instituted to prevent this all to likely scenario.
These are just a few proposals. I would like to hear from the community at DK.
Thanks.