- President Bush celebrated the July 4th holiday by praising
veterans, saying "we're proud of your service, we're grateful for
the example you have set for America."[1] But a new report shows that
more than half a million veterans are going without health care benefits
owed to them - and the Bush administration has tried to keep those veterans
in the dark.
-
- According to Knight-Ridder newspapers, 572,000 veterans
nationwide "are missing out on disability payments from the Veterans
Administration"[2] even though they are owed those payments from their
service. A large portion of these veterans are not receiving their payments
because they do not know about them - a situation the White House has tried
to perpetuate. In 2002, VA officials were ordered by the Bush administration
"to cease efforts to enroll new patients into its health care system."
The directive said it was "inappropriate" for local VA workers
to attend health fairs, open houses and community meetings to educate veterans
about what their eligibility and to enroll them in health care programs.[3]
-
- The President's efforts to prevent veterans from getting
the benefits they are owed came at the same time the White House was squeezing
veterans programs overall. Specifically, the President has drastically
underfunded veterans health care programs, leading to major veterans groups
calling his policies a "disgrace" and noting his most recent
budget falls $2.6 billion short of what is needed this year alone.[4] The
President also raised premiums that veterans pay for their prescription
drugs.[5]
-
- Sources:
-
- 1. Presidential Remarks, WhiteHouse.gov, 7/04/04, http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1347613&l=44009.
- 2. "Thousands of disabled vets lack disability payments
due to poor agency outreach, stigma," Knight-Ridder, 7/01/2004, http://daily.mislea
- der.org/ctt.asp?u=1347613&l=44010. 3. "VA says
'no' to new patients - Service," VFW Magazine, 9/02, http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=
- 1347613&l=44011.
- 4. "VFW Terms President's VA Budget Proposal Harmful
to Veterans VFW Appeals to Congress for Relief," VFW.org, 2/02/2004,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1347613&l=44012.
- 5. "Bush calls for electronic medical records,"
CNN.com, 4/28/2004, http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1347613&l=44013.
-
- http://www.misleader.org/daily_mislead/Read.asp?fn=df07072004.html
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