Byron Dorgan: Honoring Our Heroes by Keeping Promised to Our Veterans

BYRON DORGAN: HONORING OUR HEROES BY KEEPING PROMISES TO OUR VETERANS

Over 60,000 North Dakotans have served our country by serving in the armed forces. These heroes have served bravely in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, Iraq, Afghanistan, as well as other hostile arenas. We owe them not only our gratitude, but our support. As a country, we should keep our promises to them, including full funding for health care and disability payments without offsets.

Full Funding for Health Care:

Health care funding for veterans now has to compete for dollars in the annual budget process. Our VA health care system is chronically underfunded. This has resulted in long waiting times to get appointments for many veterans and inadequate access for those who live in rural areas. Every year, there is a group of us in Congress fighting to try to get additional dollars, but we shouldn't have to do that. This funding should be set aside and dedicated to this important purpose.

Therefore, I have supported mandatory spending through the defense budget for all veterans' health care costs. This approach would recognize veterans' benefits as a part of our national defense, and would ensure that the VA health system was getting every dollar that it needs to provide the health care that was promised.

This would also help to reduce the waiting times that many veterans face for specialty care. It also would ensure that we can help to improve access to health care in rural areas by increasing the number of community based clinics.

I will continue to work for mandatory full funding for veterans medical care so that our health care professionals can focus on making people well instead of paying the bills.

Full Concurrent Receipt:

For decades, disabled military retirees were not eligible to receive both their military retirement pay and their veterans' disability benefits. Instead, those two payments were offset against each other. I have strongly opposed this policy, and by working with my colleagues in the Senate we have started to make progress in fixing this problem.

Two years ago, Congress approved legislation that allows for so-called "concurrent receipt" of these two benefits for those with disability ratings of 60 percent or more. This is an important step in the right direction. But more needs to be done.

I continue to fight for full concurrent receipt for all veterans - regardless of their rating. We must acknowledge the sacrifices that many of our men and women have made in the line of duty, Americans who have been disabled while defending our country.

I will continue to help lead the charge to overcome the objections of the Administration and others in Washington-and finally and forever provide for full concurrent receipt of both military retirement and veterans disability.

I have great respect for those who have answered the call and served in our armed forces. And as a sign of that respect, I have worked hard to provide the support and services that they need when they leave the service. I will continue to work toward that end, specifically fighting for required full funding of health care and full benefits for our veterans.