VA Loan Updates

One of the tests of whether Americans truly support the troops is with the support of veterans benefits.

Leaders in Congress are working to increase funds for veterans services, which have come under renewed focus with the war fronts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some of those promises are taking shape. Veterans benefits for medical care were among items that gained in a spending bill the House passed Wednesday. A $3.6 billion increase in funds was part of the vast $463.5 billion bill meant to make up for unfinished business from the last Congress. The Senate is expected to approve it before Feb. 15, and the White House has indicated the president will sign the bill.

Military services are seeing increases in the number of veterans who need health care, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder among other ailments. Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, has pushed for health-care funding, as well as improving collaboration between the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs and updating the GI Bill. Sen. Dan Akaka, D-Hawaii, chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, says an increase in funds for veterans should be viewed as part of the costs of war, not as a separate budget item. Akaka says the caseload of requests is so heavy it is impeding the ability of veterans to get help.

Filner’s proposal to revisit the GI Bill would be a major update, the first in almost 20 years. The GI Bill was enacted in 1944 and served as an all-encompassing package that helped soldiers returning from war in terms of education, housing, jobs and health care. One of the goals is to extend more benefits to National Guard members. Filner and Akaka joined each chamber’s leadership in announcing reinstatement of traditional joint hearings on veterans’ affairs.

Without additional funding, fears have existed that it could result in the rationing of much-needed health care for veterans. Democrats are also warning that the recently announced plan by President Bush to increase troops in Iraq will add to the burdens of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Any time someone challenges some of the strategy in the war on terror, the cry goes out that it’s unpatriotic to raise such questions and that it undermines the troops in the field. The nation must show it values the troops every bit as much when they’re at home recovering from war duty as when they’re part of a shock-and-awe attack. It is refreshing that some congressional leaders are stepping forward to make the case that veterans benefits are important. There should be no lack of support for the troops once they get home.

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