Today we honor the service and sacrifice of our nation’s veterans. It
is a day of remembrance, but also for reflection.
When
Americans, like the thousands from Fort Lewis currently serving in Iraq
and Afghanistan, sign up to serve, our country vows to care for them
when they return. This is more than a promise; it’s a solemn duty. And
today is the time to ask: are we doing enough for them and their
families?
Growing up, I saw firsthand the many ways that military
service impacts veterans and families. My father was a disabled World
War II veteran. Like many soldiers of his generation, my father didn’t
talk about his experiences. In fact, we only really learned his story by
reading his journals after he passed away.
My father’s story
offers a larger lesson: Veterans are often reluctant to call attention
to their service or ask for help. That’s why we need a Department of
Veterans Affairs ready and able to care for veterans of all wars.
With troops fighting overseas, veterans coming home every day, and
countless more aging into the system, the VA is facing unprecedented
challenges.
The Obama administration is working to change a
leadership culture at the VA that for years has downplayed problems and
made the bottom-line the top priority. President Obama’s first budget
included an historic funding increase to help modernize the VA. And VA
Secretary Eric Shinseki, a disabled veteran himself, has made some good
early progress.
But there is still a lot to be done.
There
are three key ways that the VA can show a renewed commitment to
veterans.
First, the VA must move quickly to address its benefits
backlog and flawed disability rating systems.
Veterans are
waiting far too long for benefits and there simply aren’t enough
processors to file the claims. Arbitrary time limits close the door to
some benefits altogether and a flawed process can leave veterans with
the same health conditions with different disability ratings.
The
administration took a good first step with its plan for a comprehensive
electronic records system. This will streamline the transition of health
records between the Department of Defense and the VA to reduce
mistakes, cut through red tape and close gaps in care between the VA and
the Department of Defense.
We will evaluate the system’s
progress but must still ensure there are enough claims processors to get
our veterans their benefits as quickly as possible.
Next, the VA
must improve and expand mental health services.
Mental wounds
leave scars just as deep as physical injuries. The VA’s own numbers show
one-third of all returning veterans will suffer from post-traumatic
stress disorder. That’s an astounding statistic.
Just three years
ago a VA undersecretary revealed that some VA clinics don’t provide
mental health or substance abuse care, or if they do, “waiting lists
render that care virtually inaccessible.”
The VA must hire enough
well-trained mental health experts. But we must also focus on a broader
outreach and education effort that begins in basic training and breaks
down the stigma associated with seeking care for the psychological
wounds of war in the military and the VA.
Finally, the VA must
recognize that with a modern military comes a changing veterans
population.
Over the past decade women have stepped up to serve
at unprecedented levels and now make up 15 percent of our active duty
Guard and Reserve forces, but the VA remains ill-prepared to care for
their unique needs.
The VA must address the barriers to care for
women and hire the trained professional staff to ensure they have equal
access to the benefits, services and support needed to transition back
to their unique roles in civilian life.
In 1789, George Washington
said, “The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve
in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional as
to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and
appreciated by their country.”
Washington’s words ring true today.
But our veterans deserve more than words – they need action. And on
this day of remembrance and reflection, the best way to honor our
veterans is to fulfill the promise to provide them with the care and
benefits they have earned.
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray is a senior
member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and Defense
Appropriations Subcommittee.
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