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Honoring our Veterans
September 2, 2010
Dear Friends,
As Americans we understand that we have a responsibility to support the men and women in uniform who risk their lives on a daily basis to protect the freedom we enjoy. More than 370,000 men and women, who serve in every branch of the Armed Services, risk their lives to preserve and protect the liberty of this great nation. We remember their courage, dedication, and service and we honor the supreme sacrifice each of them made, to protect the freedom we hold so dear.
VA CLINICS
Improving access to health care for our Veterans has been one of my top priorities and I will continue to work to ensure all of our veterans receive the benefits they need and deserve. In January, I participated in a roundtable discussion with the Committee on Veterans Affairs in Washington on the health care needs of veterans living in rural areas. I am pleased that a super regional clinic in Wilmington will open in July of 2012. The clinic will serve veterans in a 7-county area and provide ambulatory care in areas such as cardiology, gastroenterology, audiology, and podiatry. It will also have a brand new, full-service VA pharmacy, and provide expanded mental health services. In addition, the VA will open outreach clinics in Robeson County and Brunswick County. In Brunswick County the outreach clinic includes a pilot transportation program to shuttle veterans to Wilmington and Fayetteville Medical Center. I have also worked with the VA to help provide better primary and long-term care at the Fayetteville VA Medical Center. This expansion will deliver needed improvements in surgery, psychiatry, and treatment of PTSD.
PTSD
Treatment of PTSD is critical for our veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan as well as our veterans who have served in other combat zones. The VA has issued new rules which will make it easier for veterans suffering from PTSD – including those who may have been denied in the past – to receive the care and benefits they need. Previously, veterans had to undergo lengthy investigations in order to apply for disability benefits for PTSD. The new reforms will simplify the process, requiring a VA doctor’s diagnosis for veterans who served in a combat zone. PTSD can also lead to alcohol abuse, drug addiction, and other medical conditions. It is important that we help our service men and women treat and overcome not only PTSD but also any of the additional challenges associated with it. I recently spoke at the "Recovery Takes Flight" drug addiction awareness event at the Wilmington Treatment Center to launch National Recovery Month and to honor recovering servicemen and women. The Wilmington Treatment Center is a national model facility for treating addiction and substance abuse, and draws from 30 military bases.
AGENT ORANGE
Veterans exposed to herbicides while serving in Vietnam and other areas will have an easier path to access quality health care and qualify for disability compensation. I am very glad the VA has moved forward with these new regulations. More than 150,000 Veterans are expected to submit Agent Orange claims in the next 12 to 18 months, many of whom are potentially eligible for retroactive disability payments based on past claims. The VA will review approximately 90,000 previously denied claims by Vietnam Veterans for service connection for these conditions. All those awarded service connection who are not currently eligible for enrollment into the VA healthcare system will become eligible.
HELPING VETERANS WITH THEIR BENEFITS
In these tough economic times, it is critical that our veterans know the kinds of services and help that are available to them. As many of you know, there are veterans that are not aware of what their service has entitled them to receive, such as where to get their eyes checked, if their asthma is considered a service-connected disability, or if they can get their VA prescriptions delivered to their home. In some unfortunate situations, some veterans are not aware that their time in uniform has given them a guaranteed basic level of care from the VA.
That is why I introduced the Veterans Outreach Improvement Act, a bill that would direct more resources to the underfunded organizations that do such important work in helping veterans complete their benefits claims. This bill has passed the U.S. House and is pending in the U.S. Senate. In addition, my office also stands ready to help any veteran navigate the complicated VA benefits process. Our office can assist veterans in working with the VA so that they can receive the benefits and recognition that they have earned with their service.
Specifically, some of the things my office may help with include:
- Attaining greater disability ratings for those veterans that deserve it and have been fighting for it for years,
- Securing military honors for veterans that have been unjustly denied proper recognition for their bravery and valor,
- Helping veterans get in to the VA system to see the right physicians in a timely manner, and
- Sending claims faster up the chain of command so that veterans can start getting their benefits as soon as possible.
If you or a veteran you know needs assistance with their benefits claims, please contact my offices in Washington (202) 225-2731, Wilmington (910) 815-4959, or Fayetteville (910) 323-0069.
FY2011 BUDGET
For the fifth straight year in a row, the U.S. Congress has approved a Veterans Affairs budget that consistently increases the funding levels that were set for the previous year. This year, appropriations will reach an all-time high of $109.6 billion. This funding will allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure stable and uninterrupted services, process newly eligible VA claims for Agent Orange presumptive disabilities, and provide new family caregiver benefits for disabled veterans. I am pleased that this bill also includes $50.6 billion in advanced funding which means that we can provide the VA medical with funds one year in advance to ensure that our veterans get sufficient, timely and predictable funding.
LOOKING AHEAD
Although we have made progress in better serving our veterans we must continue to work to ensure all of our veterans are served. It is time that we put an end to the veterans' concurrent receipt tax which forces disabled military retirees to give up one dollar of their retirement pensions for every dollar of disability they receive. In previous years, we have come close to correcting this injustice, and now is the time for it to finally close that loop for our disabled veterans. It is also important to ensure that future health care reform efforts have no impact on the manner in which the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Defense delivers its own healthcare to veterans and military retirees. Most recently, I was pleased to support the TRICARE Affirmation Act that ensures that the TRICARE health plan remains in the list of programs whose beneficiaries meet minimum essential requirements for the new individual health care plan requirements. Serving our veterans is not an option but a duty that we all have to support our service men and women. I will continue to work so that all of our veterans receive the benefits that they need and deserve.
Sincerely,
U.S. Congressman Mike McIntyre
Representing the 7th District of North Carolina
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Lumberton, NC
500 North Cedar Street
Lumberton, NC 28358
(910) 735-0610
fax (910) 739-5085
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Fayetteville, NC
301 Green Street, Room 218
Fayetteville, NC 28301
(910) 323-0260
fax (910) 323-0069
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Wilmington, NC
201 North Front Street, Suite 410
Wilmington, NC 28401
(910) 815-4959
fax (910) 815-4543 |
Bolivia, NC
310 Government Center
Drive, NE
Building S, Unit 1
Bolivia, NC 28422
(910)-253-0158
fax (910)-253-0159 |
Washington, DC
2437 Rayburn House Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-2731
fax (202) 225-5773
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