Veterans still must suffer a Republican-controlled Congress and an administration that likes to use veterans as backdrops for speeches but fails to deliver in substance time and again. Unfortunately, just like "Groundhog Day," we have witnessed example after example of the failure by both the White House and the Congress to address the needs of veterans - from providing assured funding for health care to helping veterans affected by Hurricane Katrina to comprehensively addressing issues relating to the diagnosis and treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, an illness that may affect nearly one-in-four veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. [source]

Rep. John Murtha, 12/15/05:

Murtha is no liberal, which makes his turn against the war all the more significant. Many long-time observers of military affairs believe that Murtha was stating positions that he had heard from enlisted personnel and military officers, who by virtue of their positions in the armed forces are not allowed to express their opinions on the war. As he put it in the close of his speech, "Because we in Congress are charged with sending our sons and daughters into battle, we have the responsibility, the OBLIGATION, to speak for them."

One of Murtha's biggest motivations for speaking out has been the lives lost and shattered by the war in Iraq. As he noted, at the time of his speech there were over 2,079 American deaths in Iraq, over 15,500 seriously wounded and over 50,000 suffering from battle fatigue (often referred to in technical parlance as post-traumatic stress disorder). [source]

Sen. Barack Obama, 08/10/05:

In a letter to Veterans' Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson, U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today criticized the VA's decision to review more than 70,000 cases where veterans were awarded full benefits for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) cases, while not reviewing any cases where veterans may have been denied benefits they earned.

"In order to truly create fairness in the claims system, the VA should concentrate its efforts on reviewing denials of PTSD claims," said Obama. "Without assessing why some PTSD claims are denied, it will be impossible to fully understand how the VA's PTSD rating system can be improved."

"The process of gathering evidence to prove PTSD disability is extremely time-consuming," said Obama. "It requires the compilation of medical records, military service records, and testimony from other veterans who can attest to a person's combat exposure. I cannot fathom why VA would require veterans to go through this emotionally painful process for a second time." [source]

Sen. Dick Durbin, 01/12/06:

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., will introduce a bill in the coming weeks requiring the VA to immediately strengthen its PTSD services for veterans and their families. ... Durbin's proposed bill will require every VA medical center to establish a "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder clinical team" of medical professionals trained to deal with PTSD. It also directs the VA to include a family therapist at every vet center and a coordinator for PTSD in every VA region.

"PTSD can happen to the bravest warriors. It can and does happen to the toughest warriors. PTSD is also not new. In the Civil War, it was called `soldier's heart.' In World War II, they called it `shell shock.' Today we know what PTSD is and how to treat it," Durbin said.

"Some of the deepest wounds suffered in war are not visible. And some of those who suffer the deepest losses never step onto a battlefield. They are the spouses and children who are left behind. As the war in Iraq enters its third year, we must care for all the families who have borne the most terrible cost of this war." [source]

Sens. Harry Reid, Daniel Akaka, Barbara Mikulski, 12/28/04:

Three Democratic Senators have politely, but bluntly, blasted the Bush Administration's funding of the VA. More importantly, they have drawn the battle lines that may decide the future of veteran's healthcare and other benefits for years to come.

In the letter, dated December 16, 2004, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, Committee on Veterans Affairs Ranking Member Daniel Akaka, and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Barbara Mikulski urged President Bush to rethink the VA budgetary process and support programs for veteran's healthcare including special programs to ease the transition difficulties for troops returning from Iraq.

The six-point letter says nothing most veterans don't know. The VA budget is in shambles. Veterans are being locked out. The waiting lists for surgeries and necessary diagnostic procedures mean months of delays for many veterans. Here are the six points in simplified form. I urge you to read the entire letter.

   1. Fully fund and reopen the VA healthcare system for all veterans. Due to chronic under-funding of the VA hundreds of thousands of veterans are being denied the care they were promised and deserve. The VA health-care budget is short billions of dollars. Many veterans shut out of the system have no health insurance. It is a serious mistake to cut the VA budget at a time when we are creating a whole new generation of veterans. This is unfair to those who have bravely served our nation.

   2. Create a seamless transition from active duty to veteran status. Many soldiers are being denied timely access to healthcare benefits and services when they transition. The archaic nature of the system leads to mistakes, backlogs, lost records and long waiting times. The VA and DoD must develop an electronic records system so that those who have served our country are not mired in bureaucracy.

   3. Eliminate claims backlogs and reduce claims processing times. The backlog of VA claims continues to grow, yet the VA continues to reduce claims processing staff.

   4. Increase education benefits. The GI bill meets only about 50 percent of higher education costs for a public college or university.

   5. Increase burial benefits. Burial benefits for the families of our wounded or disabled veterans have not kept up with inflation and rising funeral costs.

   6. Protect, expand and guard against any reduction in long-term care and mental health services. One in every six soldiers returning from Iraq suffers from post-traumatic stress disorders.  [source]