This upcoming week of February 11th – 15th is designated as the “National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans Week”. This week was set aside to honor our veterans, and is an appropriate time for all Oklahomans to stop and thank veterans and their families who have sacrificed so much on behalf of our nation.
At 155 VA hospitals all across our nation, there are veterans everyday who face the physical and mental wounds of combat long after their military service is complete. We can never fully repay our debt of gratitude to them, but we have a moral obligation to thank and support them with our words and our deeds.
If you live near a VA hospital or clinic, take the time this week to visit and say “thank you” to our veterans. Those two simple words can make a big difference in the lives of those who have done so much for us.
If you don’t live near a VA hospital or clinic, then call someone you know who has served in uniform and thank them for their service. If you’re traveling through an airport and see a young serviceman or woman departing for training or combat, walk a few steps and let these veterans of tomorrow know you are grateful for their service. A few steps and a few words can go a long way.
For those of us in Congress, I believe it is vital that we support our hospitalized veterans and all veterans not just with our words but with our deeds as well. It’s not good enough for elected representatives to honor our veterans with speeches on Veterans Day while dishonoring them with inadequate budgets all other days.
At long last, it’s a new day for America’s veterans. For years VA budgets have barely, if at all, kept up with inflation. This year Congress has kept its promise to honor veterans with substantial budget increases.
In 2007, Congress increased health care and benefits funding for veterans by $11.8 billion. This is the largest funding increase in the 77-year history of the Veterans Administration. It is also a larger increase than the combined total of the six previous years in Congress. The truth is our veterans have earned every dime of this funding.
So, what does this new funding mean for individual veterans?
For 5.8 million veterans who use the VA health care system, it will mean better care, more doctors, and shorter waiting lines for medical appointments.
For the 400,000 veterans backlogged in the VA claims processing system, it will provide 3,100 new claim processors to reduce the shocking 6-month delay for those waiting to receive their earned benefits.
For Iraq and Afghan war veterans, it will mean everyone coming into the VA system will be tested for PTSD and other non-visible forms of traumatic brain injury.
For the most severely wounded Iraq and Afghan vets, this means modernized poly-trauma centers and a new poly-trauma center in San Antonio, the first of its kind anywhere in the southwestern United States.
For veterans from all wars with mental health issues, there will be a minimum of $2.9 billion dedicated to better mental health care services – a $700 million increase over last year.
For veterans in rural areas far away from VA hospitals, this means more VA clinics closer to home, and for the first time since 1979 when gasoline prices were 95 cents per gallon, the VA travel reimbursement has increased from 11 cents to 28 and a half cents per mile.
For all Americans who want to see recovering veterans getting the care they need at the best possible facilities, it will provide nearly $1.5 billion in new funding to do preventative construction maintenance at our VA hospitals and clinics.
For thousands of homeless veterans, increasing the homeless per diem program by $23 million will mean the dignity of a roof over their heads and hope for the future.
With these important steps, Congress has come a long way in keeping our promises to those who have kept their promise to serve our nation, but we can, and should, do more.
This week you can make a difference by thanking a hospitalized veteran. In the weeks, months, and years ahead, let us all work together to thank our veterans with our words and our deeds. They deserve no less.
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Congressman Dan Boren (D-Muskogee) represents Oklahoma’s Second Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives and serves on the House Armed Services Committee.
