Republicans are veteran hypocrites on the VA

georgecurryweb2013
GEORGE E. CURRY

(NNPA)—If you let the Republicans tell it, President Obama is directly responsible for the fiasco at the Veterans Administration.  But they don’t tell you that fresh off of Memorial Day parade appearances, they are responsible for scuttling legislation that would have expanded benefits for the nation’s 22 million veterans and their families.
A measure backed by Obama would have lengthened the period veterans are eligible to receive health care from the VA from five years to 10 years after deployment. The bill also would have allowed the VA to open 27 new health facilities, expand medical and dental care, make more veterans eligible for in-state tuition at public universities, repeal the recent cut in cost-of-living adjustments for new enlistees and extend a program that provides care for veterans with mild to severe brain injuries.
More than 20 military organizations—including the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Wounded Warriors Project and Disabled American Veterans—supported the bill.
William A. Thien, commander-in-chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, submitted a letter saying, “This legislation is the most comprehensive veterans’ legislation to be introduced in decades. It contains many of the VFW’s priority goals, which will implement, expand and improve both health care and benefit services to all generations of veterans and their families.”

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