Veterans Using VA Health Care Meet Requirements For ACA (Obamacare)

Veterans who already have Veteran Affairs health care are covered under the new Affordable  Care Act requirements.

Any veterans who are already enrolled in VA health care are also not required to take any additional steps to meet ACA coverage standards. Enrolled veterans can also continue to use VA and other federal health care coverage such as Medicaid, Medicare, TRI-CARE, and private insurance.

However, non-enrollment in medical insurance for veterans and non-veterans alike can prove costly. Penalties applied to an individual’s taxes will begin being issued in 2014.

The penalty will be $95 or 1 percent of taxable income, whichever is greater, and those penalties will rise significantly in the next two years. For those veterans who aren’t insured, there is still time to get enrolled in VA health care.

Contact the nearest VA facility, or try your county/state Veterans Office. Help is also available through Veterans Service Organizations such as the American Legion, VFW, AMVETS. etc/

Veterans can also apply online by submitting the VA Form 1010EZ atVA 1010ez, or over the phone by dialing 1-877-222-VETS (8387) from Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Those veterans who apply and don’t qualify should apply again annually because the qualifications change every year.

---- Jerald Terwilliger Former Chairman American Cold War Veterans "We Remember" ---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996

Court Takes Back Ruling On VA Mental Health

In May a three judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the VA to institute a
new mental health care program that would speed the appeal process for denied claims, and
provide more timely mental health care and ensure that suicidal veterans are seen immediately.

In its May ruling the court held that the VA takes an average of four years to provide complete
health care that veterans have earned. It also noted that often a suicidal veteran can wait weeks
for a first appointment.

The court ruled that the slow handling of PTSD and other mental health claims was unconstitutional.

On Wednesday the 2-1 ruling was overturned when a majority of the court's judges voted to
rehear the case. The case will now be heard by an 11 judge panel on yet to be decided date. 

Veterans have complained for a long time that the VA is just not taking proper care and is very slow
in the handling of claims. Many say that it takes years to get into the VA system and often
have to appeal a denied claim two or three times.

These men and women feel they are second class citizens and are treated with disdain and
by uncaring staff.

While it is know that the VA is working very hard to change the processes and hire more
health care workers, it is a slow process; and something must be done to make it easier and
quicker for claims to be processed, and the healing begun.

More Wounded Warriors are added to the role every day, even as the fighting in Iraq
and Afghanistan is winding down.

With the suicide rate of almost 18 veterans a day it is unjust, unfair and a blot on our
country's promise to our veterans; that anyone should have to wait that long for treatment.

Jerald Terwilliger
National Chairman
American Cold War Veterans
"We Remember"


---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996

VA Publishes Final Regualation To Aid Korean Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange

 New Regulations Will Provide Easier Path To Health Care and Benefits to those exposed to
 illnesses for those exposed to herbicides.

WASHINGTON - Veterans exposed to herbicides while serving along the

demilitarized zone (DMZ) in Korea will have an easier path to access

quality health care and benefits under a Department of Veterans Affairs

(VA) final regulation that will expand the dates when illnesses caused

by herbicide exposure can be presumed to be related to Agent Orange.

"VA's primary mission is to be an advocate for Veterans," said Secretary

of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki "With this new regulation VA has

cleared a path for more Veterans who served in the demilitarized zone in

Korea to receive access to our quality health care and disability

benefits for exposure to Agent Orange." 

Under the final regulation published today in the Federal Register, VA

will presume herbicide exposure for any Veteran who served between April

1, 1968, and Aug. 31, 1971, in a unit determined by VA and the

Department of Defense (DoD) to have operated in an area in or near the

Korean DMZ in which herbicides were applied.  

Previously, VA recognized that Agent Orange exposure could only be

conceded to Veterans who served in certain units along the Korean DMZ

between April 1968 and July 1969.  

In practical terms, eligible Veterans who have specific illnesses VA

presumes to be associated with herbicide exposure do not have to prove

an association between their illness and their military service.  This

"presumption" simplifies and speeds up the application process for

benefits and ensures that Veterans receive the benefits they deserve.

Click on these links to learn about Veterans' diseases associated with

Agent Orange exposure

<http://www.publichealth.va.gov/PUBLICHEALTH/exposures/agentorange/disea

ses.asp>  at

http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/diseases.asp and

birth defects in children of Vietnam-era Veterans

<http://www.publichealth.va.gov/PUBLICHEALTH/exposures/agentorange/birth

_defects.asp>  at

http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/birth_defects.asp.

VA encourages Veterans with covered service in Korea who have medical

conditions that may be related to Agent Orange to submit their

applications for access to VA health care and compensation as soon as

possible so the agency can begin processing their claims.

Individuals can go to website

http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/AO/claimherbicide.htm

<http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/AO/claimherbicide.htm>  to get a more

complete understanding of how to file a claim for presumptive conditions

related to herbicide exposure, as well as what evidence is needed by VA

to make a decision about disability compensation or survivors benefits.

Additional information about Agent Orange and VA's services for Veterans

exposed to the chemical is available at

www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange

<http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/> .

The regulation is available on the Office of the Federal Register

website at http://www.ofr.gov/.

---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996

DoD Leaders Discuss Critical Troop, Family Health Care Needs

DOD Leaders Discuss Critical Troop, Family Health Care Needs

By Karen Parrish 
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2011 - Military health care has improved troop survival, recovery and rehabilitation, but providers, patients, families and leaders must keep investing time, effort and communication, Defense Department leaders said today.

Clifford L. Stanley, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, and Deborah Mullen, wife of Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke on these issues to an audience of thousands at the 2011 Military Health System Conference opening session. 

Stanley is a retired Marine Corps major general, and recounted his family's experience with the military health system.

In 1975, Stanley was stationed at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., with his wife and their 3-month-old daughter when his family was the victim of a sniper attack. Stanley's uncle was killed, and his wife was left paralyzed.

"I'm not a physician, but I was immediately introduced to the health care system in a unique way for us," he said.

During the years that followed, Stanley said, his family learned a great deal about military health care, and experienced "a couple of close calls."

"We ... had to be engaged personally in the process," he said. "At the time, I was lower-ranking, but the bottom line was that I insisted, and continue to insist, that we do our very best to take care of our people."

Defense leaders do their best now to ensure the highest quality care for service members, but must connect with military medical professionals to know "what's going on out there in our world," he said.
His family now is happy and doing well, Stanley said, but still monitors the state of military health care.

"We care very deeply about what's happening to our sailors, soldiers, airmen, Marines and Coast Guard -- our wounded, ill and injured," he said. 

One of the challenges in defense health care goes beyond medicine, Stanley said.
"It's how we communicate, or don't communicate," he explained. "People mean well [and are] doing well, but it's hard sometimes in a bureaucracy to figure out how that matrix works."

One topic that left him "unbelievably frustrated," he said, was the disability evaluation system, which the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments have been working to streamline since 2007.
"To find a system that was taking 500 days, and got down to 200-some days and now maybe 180 or whatever number of days it might be ... can we do better? And can we do better now? Not next year, not next week, but can we do better now?" he asked.

Improving military health care "is not going to be, and should never be, something just done by DOD," he said. "Anything we do is part of this great nation that we serve in. There are lots of people who want to help. ... Let's do it together."

Stanley urged the health professionals in the audience to learn and share ideas during this week's conference.

"We owe our troops our very best," he said. "We owe them our heart and our soul and our commitment."

Mullen built on Stanley's remarks by emphasizing what the military medical system can do for service members' spouses and children. The challenges these families face are not new, she said, but can be profound.

Mullen started by quoting from a letter written by a young military spouse: "It is infinitely worse to be left behind, and prey to all the horrors of imagining what might be happening to the one you love. You slowly eat your heart out with anxiety, and to endure such suspense is simply the hardest of all the trials that come to an Army wife."

Those words are from a letter written by Elizabeth "Libby" Custer in 1876, shortly after her husband, Army Gen. George A. Custer, left for what became the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Mullen said.

"They could have been written, and probably have been written, by any of the hundreds of thousands of young spouses who have watched their soldier, sailor, airman or Marine march off to war these last 10 years," she added.

Mullen said she doesn't believe society yet fully understands the cumulative effects of stress, anxiety and worry on military families. "But we need to try, and we need to do so quickly," she said. "A whole generation has now been impacted."

Today's military families have the advantage over Libby Custer of greater general understanding of combat stress, and programs in place to help them manage it, Mullen said.

"But we are still discovering, still revealing, fissures and cracks in our family support system," she added, citing the need for "new ways to seal them."

The first of those cracks is what families call secondary post-traumatic stress, Mullen said.

"Not unlike our troops, our families experience the same depression, anxiety, sleeplessness and headaches," she said. "They break into cold sweats, lose concentration, suffer panic attacks, and come to dread contact with the outside world."

Some spouses do not get out of bed, prepare meals or care for their children, she said, adding that some turn to the same "remedies" troops with post-traumatic stress do: alcohol, prescription drugs, even suicide.

"I am convinced that much of the desperation these drastic remedies represent is rooted in the stigma still attached to mental health issues," Mullen said. "Not only are they embarrassed to seek help for themselves, spouses worry that in so doing they will negatively impact their husband's or wife's military career."

The services have worked hard to eliminate that stigma in the ranks, but need to do more to remove it from families, Mullen said, noting that for some spouses who seek help, the result is "all too often disappointing."

In two separate cases at one military hospital, spouses seeking help for post-traumatic stress symptoms and suicidal thoughts were given prescriptions – five in one case, seven in another – with no follow-up treatment or consultation scheduled, she said.

"You do not have to put on a pair of boots and patrol outside the wire to suffer the effects of war," Mullen said. "If it is keeping you from living your life and loving your family, you owe it to yourself – and frankly, the military owes it to you – to get you the help you need."

Military children represent another crack in the care system that needs sealing, Mullen said, noting the military services are working to understand the effect 10 years of war is having on those children.

"There is evidence of elevated emotional and behavioral difficulties and lower academic achievement," she said. "Anxiety and depression have led to a rise in the use of psychiatric medication."
In 2009, she said, 300,000 prescriptions for psychiatric drugs were given to military family members younger than 18.

"Some were no doubt warranted, but I worry that we don't fully understand the long-term consequences of these medications," she said.

Family stress happens after as well as during deployment, Mullen said, when reintegration and reunion add their own challenges.

"The Army ... recently released information that spouse and child abuse cases are rising," she said. "We have come to understand that while a combat tour may last a year, the effects of that tour on a service member and family may last much longer."

Military families are strong and patriotic, and pride themselves on their resilience and readiness, Mullen said.

"But we didn't fully understand that these wars would last as long as they have, and that resilience and readiness are not necessarily permanent," she said. "After multiple deployments, they begin to break down."

Building resilient families involves listening to their needs and challenges, she said.
"It's about looking at things through their eyes, and trying to find solutions that work in their unique circumstances," she said.

Following up on programs, assessing how they're working, incorporating lessons learned and instituting best practices across the services are all critical to improving family care, she said.

"Often, spouses tell me they don't need another program. ... What they need is time: time with their spouse, time together with their families, time with a counselor, or a doctor, or a minister," she said. "They want time to explore and understand what is happening to them, and the patience and understanding of loved ones, and friends, and the system itself."


Jerald Terwilliger
National Chairman
American Cold War Veterans
"We Remember"

---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996

TRICARE Improves Online Communication, Access

Improved and easier contact and function with military health care is a must. This is a great step
forward for members and families.

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21, 2011 - Additions to the TRICARE military health plan's website are giving beneficiaries easier access to their personal health data, more convenient appointment scheduling and better communication with their health care providers, the top TRICARE official reported.

TRICARE Online, the military health system's patient portal, already enables users who get care at a military treatment facility to schedule appointments, track their medications, order prescription refills and view and even download their personal health records, Navy Rear Adm. (Dr.) Christine S. Hunter told American Forces Press Service.

Later this year, patients also will be able to get their laboratory and X-ray results through the portal, along with secure messaging from their health care providers, Hunter said.

"You will be able to go there and it will say you have two messages from your doctor," she explained. "You will click on it, and it may be the nurse telling you that you are overdue for something, and maybe a lab result and an explanation of the findings."

The next goal will be to expand these capabilities so beneficiaries can track what immunizations they received and when, and get a "heads up" from their health care provider when they're due for their next one, she said.

Meanwhile, TRICARE plans to increase the number of clinics that offer online appointment scheduling and tailor the process to offer the broadest selection of openings so beneficiaries can select what's most convenient for them.

In addition, health care providers will begin using the portal to get patients to fill out forms and questionnaires at their convenience before they arrive for their appointments.

TRICARE Online offers the best of both worlds, Hunter said. It helps to build a closer relationship between beneficiaries and their health care providers while taking advantage of technology and health care tools to make that relationship more convenient and accessible 24/7.

Beneficiaries increasingly are taking advantage of the new capability. Almost 311,500 active users have logged into the system over the past year, officials reported, with an average of 2,800 new user registrations each week.

Since January 2010, beneficiaries have scheduled almost 200,000 medical appointments and requested more than 61,500 prescription refills through the system. During the week of Jan. 9 to 16 alone, they scheduled almost 3,000 appointments and refilled more than 1,000 prescriptions.

TRICARE officials also report increased use of the "blue button" feature that enables beneficiaries to access their personal health data and, if they choose, save it to a file on their computer. Since Sept. 25, 2010, officials reported more than 4,000 downloads in .pdf format and more than 1,700 downloads in .txt format. Last week's figures show 486 .pdf downloads and 187 .txt downloads.

Hunter said this feature is particularly helpful because it enables beneficiaries to download their records when they need to seek medical care away from their regular health care facility, and empowers them to better partner with providers about the treatment they receive.

Jerald Terwilliger
National Chairman
American Cold War Veterans
"We Remember"

---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996

Secretary Gates wants to raise TRICARE costs

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates thinks that one way to save money for the Pentagon would
be to raise enrollment rates for veterans who are covered under TRICARE. The program
provides health care coverage to active duty and retired military members and their families.

Although Gates mentioned raising the rates for "working age" retired military members. Gates
said that many of these beneficiaries are employed full time while receiving their full pensions
and ofter forgo their employer's health plan to remain with TRICARE."

Gates' plan would raise the rates for fiscal year 2012 and make other changes in military
health care that could save over $7 billion over the next five years.

Gates said, "These will include initiatives to become more efficient as well as modest increases to
TRICARE fees for working age retires to adjust for medical attention."

The current enrollment fee of $460 for the basic family plan has not changed since it was
sent in 1995. Although there have been attempts in the past to raise the rate, Congress
has failed to do so.

Several members of Congress are watching closely to see the exact figures and what the
effect would be on both active duty and retired members.

Once again, it is the veteran who gets cuts first and deepest. Most of us seem to remember
quite clearly being told that we and our families would be taken care of for life.

It just does not happen for most.

Jerald Terwilliger
National Chairman
American Cold War Veterans
"We Remember"

---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996

Female military/veterans Suicide Risk

It is not just the male military members and veterans that are at high risk for suicide. Young female
veterans are almost three times more likely to commit suicide than non-veterans. The young are also
more likely to do so than older veterans.

Women in the 18 to 34 age bracket are at the highest risk, followed by those aged 35 to 44; and those
aged 45 to 64 were in the lowest risk group.

Data from 16 states, part of the National Violent Death Reporting System show that between 2004 and
2007, 5,948 female suicides in the age group 18 to 34 there were 56 suicides among 418,132 or a ratio
of 1 in 7,465. That was compared to 1,461 out of 33,257,362 non-veterans or 1 out of 22,763.

This should be a wake-up call to care givers and doctors to be more aware of warning signs, and to
take preventative action. Women can be forgotten and left out.

Women veterans also face very high homeless rates, and those with children are even more vulnerable.

The Veterans Suicide Prevention Hotline number is 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Please write that number
down and share it with every veteran you know who is going through depression and/or PTSD and
might be at risk.

So America it is time to stand together for all veterans, demand that every one of them be given
the proper care they need.

Jerald Terwilliger
National Chairman
American Cold War Veterans
"We Remember"

---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996

VA Extends Coverage for Gulf War Veterans

From Global Defence.net

WASHINGTON - Veterans of the first Gulf War as well as current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan now have a smoother path toward receiving health-care benefits and disability compensation for nine diseases associated with their military service, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced today.

A final regulation published in today's Federal Register relieves veterans of the burden of proving these diseases are service-related: Brucellosis, Campylobacter jejuni, Coxiella Burnetii (Q fever), Malaria, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Nontyphoid Salmonella, Shigella, Visceral leishmaniasis and West Nile virus.
Shinseki added the new presumptions after reviewing a 2006 National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine report on the long-term health effects of certain diseases suffered among Gulf War veterans.
He also extended the presumptions to veterans of Afghanistan, based on NAS findings that the nine diseases are prevalent there as well.
The new presumptions apply to veterans who served in Southwest Asia beginning on or after the start of Operation Desert Shield on Aug. 2, 1990, through Operation Desert Storm to the present, including the current conflict in Iraq. Veterans who served in Afghanistan on or after Sept. 19, 2001, also qualify.
For Shinseki, who pledged to honor the 20th anniversary of the Gulf War by improving health-care access and benefits for its 697,000 veterans, the new presumptions represent a long-overdue step in addressing the medical challenges many face.
"This is part of historic changes in how VA considers Gulf War veterans' illnesses," he said. "By setting up scientifically based presumptions of service connection, we give these deserving veterans a simple way to obtain the benefits they earned in service to our country."
The new presumptions initially are expected to affect just under 2,000 veterans who have been diagnosed with the nine specified diseases, John Gingrich, VA's chief of staff, told American Forces Press Service. He acknowledged that the numbers are likely to climb as more cases are identified.
With the final rule, a veteran needs only to show service in Southwest Asia or Afghanistan during the specified time periods to receive disability compensation, subject to certain time limits based on incubation periods for seven of the diseases.
"It gives them easier access to quality health care and compensation benefits," Gingrich said. "The message behind that is that the VA is striving to make access to health care easier for our veterans who have served in our combat zones."
He expressed hope that by providing quick, easy access, VA will help veterans get the care they need early on, without having to fight the bureaucracy.
"When we find these presumptions and we reach out and get the veterans into our system, we can help them and give them the proper medical care they need, and maybe keep their disease from getting worse or getting it to go away altogether," he said.
It also will help eliminate the piles of paperwork and long claims adjudication process veterans had to go through to prove their cases to receive care and benefits. "This will help break the back of the backlog in the long run, while sending a reassuring message to veterans that the VA is there for them," Gingrich said.
He called the new presumptions part of Shinseki's effort to "create a culture of advocacy" within VA that builds trust as it reaches out to veterans.
For Gingrich, a Gulf War veteran himself, the effort is very personal. He remembers being deployed as a 1st Infantry Division field artillery battalion commander during Operation Desert Storm, when one of his officers became very sick with an illness nobody could diagnose.
"The medics couldn't diagnose it. We called in the doctors and they couldn't diagnose it. And eventually, he had to be medevaced back," he recalled. "And now here we are, 20 years later, and I saw him in Dallas in August, and he is still sick. You can't identify all the reasons and symptoms, but he is sick."
Veterans deserve better, Gingrich insisted. "I believe that our veterans that served in uniform for our country deserve the absolute best care and benefits that we can provide," he said.
VA provides compensation and pension benefits to more than 3.8 million veterans and beneficiaries, and received more than 1 million claims last year alone, VA officials reported. Veterans without dependents receive a basic monthly compensation ranging from $123 to $2,673.
Source:
U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)

---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996

Help for Veterans Benefits

Here is something for every veteran. Help is available, these links should help.
If you have filed or are going to file a claim, you have to ask for help. This might
give you an idea as to what is available and how to get the help you need.

I hope all the links work. Give this information to every veteran you know.


Veterans Benefits Administration Main Web Page http://www.vba.va.gov/
Veterans Legal and Benefits Information http://valaw.org/
Federal Benefits for Veterans dependents and survivors 2010
http://www1.va.gov/opa/publications/benefits_book.asp


VHA Forms, Publications, Manuals http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/
VHA Programs - Clinical Programs & Initiatives
http://www1.va.gov/health_benefits/page.cfm?pg=13 
http://webmaila.juno.com/webmail/new/Ur ... Error.aspx>
VHA Public Health Strategic Health Care Group Home Page
http: // www.publichealth.va.gov/
VHI Guide to Gulf War VeteransAAcAAc,AA!(tm) Health
http://www1.va.gov/vhi_ind_study/gulfwa ... /index.asp
Vocational Rehabilitation http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/vre/
Vocational Rehabilitation Subsistence
http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/vre/InterSubsistencefy04.doc
VONAPP online http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp
WARMS - 38 CFR Book C http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/bookc.html
Wartime Disability Compensation
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin ... +38USC1110
War-Related Illness and Injury Study Center -
New Jersey http://www.wri.med.va.gov/

Welcome to the GI Bill Web Site http://www.gibill.va.gov/
What VA Social Workers Do http://www1.va.gov/socialwork/page.cfm?pg=3
WRIISC Patient Eligibility http://www.illegion.org/va1.html 

Hearings
http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/admin21/m21 ... 1/ch04.doc
Homeless Veterans http://www1.va.gov/homeless/
HSR&D Home http://www.hsrd.research.va.gov
Index to Disability Examination Worksheets C&P exams
 http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/benefits/exams/index.htm
Ionizing Radiation http://www1.va.gov/irad/

Iraqi Freedom/Enduring Freedom Veterans VBA http://www.vba.va.gov/EFIF/
M 10 for spouses and children <
http://www1..va.gov/vhapublications/View ... pub_ID=1007
M10 Part III Change 1 http://www.va.gov/vhapublications/view...pub_id=1008
M21-1 Table of Contents http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/M21_1.html
Mental Disorders, Schedule of Ratings
http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/regs/38CFR/ ... S4_130.DOC
Mental Health Program Guidelin es
http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/View ... pub_ID=1094
Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers
http://www.mirecc.med.va.gov/
MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Centers of Excellence http://www.va.gov/ms/about.asp
My Health e Vet http://www.myhealth.va.gov/
NASDVA.COM http://nasdva.com
National Association of State Directors http://www.nasdva.com/
National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
http://www.nchpdp.med.va.gov/postdeploymentlinks.asp
Neurological Conditions and Convulsive Disorders,
Schedule of Ratings http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/regs/38cfr/ ... 5F124a.doc
OMI (Office of Medical Inspector) http://www.omi.cio.med.va.gov/
Online VA Form 10-10EZ https://www.1010ez..med.va.gov/sec/vha/1010ez/
Parkinson's Disease and Related Neurodegenerative Disorders
http://www1.va.gov/resdev/funding/solic ... insons.pdf
and, http://www1.va.gov/padrecc/
Peacetime Disability Compensation
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin ... +38USC1131
Pension for Non-Service-Connected Disability or Death
http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title3 ... teri_.html
and,http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title38/partii_chapter15_subchapterii_.html
and, http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title3 ... riii_.html
Persian Gulf Registry http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/View ... pub_ID=1003

This program is now referred to as Gulf War Registry Program
(to include Operation Iraqi Freedom) as of March 7, 2005:
http://www1..va.gov/vhapublications/View ... pub_ID=1232
Persian Gulf Registry Referral Centers
http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/View ... pub_ID=1006
Persian Gulf Veterans' Illnesses Research 1999, Annual Report To Congress
http://www1.va.gov/resdev/1999_Gulf_War ... ndices.doc
Persian Gulf Veterans' Illnesses Research 2002, Annual Report To Congress
http://www1.va.gov/resdev/prt/gulf_war_ ... rRpt02.pdf
Phase I PGR http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/View ... pub_ID=1004
Phase II PGR http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/View ... pub_ID=1005
Policy Manual Index http://www.va.gov/publ/direc/eds/edsmps.htm
Power of Attorney http://www.warms.vba..va.gov/admin21/m2 ... 1/ch03.doc 
Project 112 (Including Project SHAD) http://www1.va.gov/shad/
Prosthetics Eligibility http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/View ... pub_ID=337
Public Health and Environmental Hazards Home Page
http://www.vethealth.cio.med.va.gov/
Public Health/SARS http://www..publichealth.va.gov/SARS/
Publications Manuals http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/publ ... .cfm?Pub=4
Publications and Reports http://www1.va.gov/resdev/prt/pubs_indi ... lf_war.htm
Records Center and Vault Homepage http://www.aac.va.gov/vault/default.html
Records Center and Vault Site Map http://www.aac.va.gov/vault/sitemap.html
REQUEST FOR AND CONSENT TO RELEASE OF INFORMATION FROM CLAIMANT'S RECORDS
 http://www.forms.va.gov/va/Internet/VAR ... 8-form.xft
Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans Illnesses
April 11, 2002 http://www1.va.gov/rac-gwvi/docs/Minute ... 112002.doc
Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans Illnesses
http://www1.va.gov/rac-gwvi/docs/Report ... s_2004.pdf
Research and Development http://www.appc1.va.gov/resdev/programs ... programs.cfm
Survivor's and Dependents' Educational Assistance
http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title3 ... er35_.html
Title 38 Index Parts 0-17
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/te ... rv1_02.tpl
Part 18
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/te ... rv2_02.tpl
Title 38 Part 3 Adjudication Subpart AAAcAAc,AA!"Pension,
Compensation, and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/te ... ain_02.tpl
Title 38 Pensions, Bonuses & Veterans Relief
(also AAE,AA 3.317 Compensation for certain disabilities due to undiagnosed
illnesses found here)
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/te ... ain_02.tpl
Title 38 PART 4--SCHEDULE FOR RATING DISABILITIES Subpart B--DISABILITY RATINGS
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/te ... .2&idno=38
Title 38 AAE,AA 4.16 Total disability ratings for compensation based on
unemployability of the individual.
PART 4AAcAAc,AA!"SCHEDULE FOR RATING DISABILITIES
Subpart AAAcAAc,AA!"General Policy in Rating 
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/te ... 11&idno=38
U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims http://www.vetapp.gov/
VA Best Practice Manual for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
http://www.avapl.org/pub/PTSD%20Manual%20final%206.pdf
VA Fact Sheet http://www1.va.gov/opa/fact/gwfs.html
VA Health Care Eligibility http://www.va.gov/healtheligibility/home/hecmain.asp
VA INSTITUTING GLOBAL ASSESSMENT OF FUNCTION (GAF)
http://www.avapl.org/gaf/gaf.html
VA Life Insurance Handbook AAcAAc,AA!" Chapter 3
http://www.insurance.va.gov/inForceGliS ... h3.htm#310
VA Loan Lending Limits and Jumbo Loans http://valoans.com/va_facts_limits.cfm
VA MS Research http://www.va.gov/ms/about.asp
VA National Hepatitis C Program http://www.hepatitis.va.gov/
VA Office of Research and Development http://www1.va.gov/resdev/
VA Trainee Pocket Card on Gulf War http://www.va.gov/OAA/pocketcard/gulfwar.asp
VA WMD EMSHG http://www1.va.gov/emshg/
VA WRIISC-DC http://www.va.gov/WRIISC-DC/

VAOIG Hotline Telephone Number and Address
http://www.va..gov/oig/hotline/hotline3.htm
Vet Center Eligibility - Readjustment Counseling Service
http://www.va.gov/rcs/Eligibility.htm

Jerald Terwilliger
National Chairman
American Cold War Veterans
"We Remember"

----------------"And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades."-- Robert M. Gates, 1996

Water at Camp Lejune contaminated priot to 1987

Just a reminder: If you were in the Marine Corps and stationed at Camp Lejune prior to
1987 you might have been exposed to toxins in the drinking water.

These toxins can cause many illness, some that might not show up for a long time; or that
might have been passed on to your children.

Please contact the Marine Corp, register to receive information.



https://clnr.hqi.usmc.mil/clwater/

This is very important to you and your family. Getting help and health care should not
be delayed.

Jerald Terwilliger
National Chairman
American Cold War Veterans
"We Remember"

Problems still exist at Illinois VA Center

From NPR Radio


November 3, 2009

A new report from the inspector general in the Department of Veterans Affairs finds that the VA Medical Center in Marion, Ill., continues to be plagued by quality management and patient care problems some two years after a suspicious spike in the number of post-surgical patient deaths there.

A 2008 investigation found that at least nine patients died because of surgical mistakes and poor post-surgical care at the VA hospital in Marion, which is in southern Illinois. That report made recommendations to improve conditions at the facility.

The new report finds poor quality management oversight, inconsistencies in the way patient deaths are reported and continuing problems with ensuring patient safety — including the discovery that surgeons were performing procedures they were not authorized to handle.

Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) calls the findings "appalling."

"It is inexcusable that after more than two years of adjustments and reviews, Marion VA is still failing our veterans in quality of care," he says in a press release. "This cannot and must not continue."

Durbin and other members of the state's congressional delegation, including Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL), and Reps. John Shimkus (R-IL) and Jerry Costello (D-IL), sent a sharply worded letter to Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki in which they demanded that VA management be held accountable for the problems at the Marion facility.

A suspicious spike in post-surgical patient deaths between October 2006 and August 2007 led the VA to abruptly suspend surgical operations at the Marion VA Medical Center. NPR reported the story of a Kentucky woman whose husband died suddenly after what was considered to be relatively minor surgery for gallstones.

In January 2008, the VA's inspector general found that the surgical unit in the VA Medical Center in Marion was in complete disarray, with doctors performing surgeries they weren't qualified to perform. Hospital administrators were found to respond slowly, if at all, to complaints or problems when they surfaced.

Serious quality management and care problems were found in the surgical unit's preoperative care, intraoperative care and postoperative care. The inspector general's report found that the deaths of at least nine patients were "directly attributable" to surgical mistakes and substandard care at the Marion VA hospital. More than a dozen additional patients suffered serious harm because of such mistakes, according to the inspector general's report, and as many as 10 additional patients may have died because of poor care at Marion.

One surgeon in particular, Dr. Jose Veizaga-Mendez, was found to be prone to committing surgical errors and failing to correct his mistakes. He had been hired by the VA despite surrendering his license in Massachusetts while under investigation for malpractice there.

Shinseki has agreed to meet with members of the Illinois delegation on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing problems at the Marion VA Medical Center.

Jerald Terwilliger
American Cold War Veterans, Inc.
"We Remember"

President Obama Signs Veterans Health Bill

President Obama today signed into law The Veterans Health Care, Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009. This legislation contained something the Veterans Administration and several Veterans Service Organizations had long asked for secure and advanced budget appropriations for the VA Health Care.

This is a momentous day for our countries veterans and the Veterans Affairs, but more importantly for our nations veterans. In the last 23 years, 20 times the VA had to wait for
budget approval, thus creating delays and hardships for veterans receiving health care from the
VA.

The VA will now be funded a year in advance and will be able to more carefully plan how to use
the funds. No longer will the VA have to wait and wonder and worry. This advanced knowledge
will help eliminate problems in providing the high quality care that the VA provides to our veterans who so richly deserve

As President Obama signed the bill which was observed by Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Eric K. Shineseki, members of Congress who played key roles in the passage of the legislation.
Also in attendance were representatives of the American Legion and several other VSO's.
The President made brief comments saying this was a promise fulfilled.

Jerald Terwilliger
National Chairman
American Cold War Veterans, Inc.
"We Remember"

PTSD increases death risk for surgery

Post-Traumatic Stress May Raise Death Risks

SATURDAY, Oct. 17 -- Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder face an increased risk for dying after surgery, even if the surgery is performed years after they have completed their service, according to a U.S. study.

Researchers analyzed data on 1,792 male veterans who had major non-cardiac, non-emergency surgeries between 1998 and 2008. Of that group, 129 (7.8 percent) had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) before their surgery.

Men with PTSD were an average of seven years younger than those without PTSD -- 59 versus 66 years old -- but were much more likely to have cardiac risk factors, the study noted.

One year after surgery, the death rate among men with PTSD was 25 percent higher than for those without PTSD -- 8.5 percent versus 6.8 percent. After the researchers adjusted for age and preexisting medical conditions -- including heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking and depression -- they found that veterans with PTSD were 2.2 times more likely to die within a year of surgery than those without PTSD.

The findings were scheduled to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, held Oct. 17 to 21 in New Orleans.

"This study is the first of its kind, with groundbreaking findings," the study's lead author, Dr. Marek Brzezinski, of the San Francisco VA Medical Center and University of California, San Francisco, said in a news release from the society. "The magnitude of the detrimental effect of PTSD diagnosis on postoperative mortality is unexpectedly large -- greater than that of diabetes, which is an established risk factor for patients undergoing surgery."

The results highlight "the need to consider potential treatments to help reduce risk in the veteran PTSD population, "Brzezinski said. "The number of veterans returning from our current conflicts with PTSD who require surgical treatment is expected to increase in the future."

PTSD affects 15 to 31 percent of Vietnam veterans and 20 percent of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, according to background information in the news release.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more about PTSD.

Jerald Terwilliger, National Chairman

American Cold War Veterans, Inc

Is the Obama Healthcare good for veterans?

Things are not quite fixed yet. The Obama Healthcare might still tax veterans using VA Healthcare from The Hill.


http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/vets-groups-concerns-on-healthcare-soothed-2009-08-03.html

Vets groups’ concerns on healthcare soothed

By Roxana Tiron

Posted: 08/03/09 08:12 PM [ET]

A leading veterans group said on Monday its concerns that healthcare reform would jeopardize the care of millions of veterans have been partly alleviated. But one sticking point remains: ensuring that veterans who are participating in the Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system would not be subject to a tax for uninsured or underinsured individuals. Until that issue is fixed “our concerns are not fully resolved,” said Raymond Dempsey, the National Commander of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV). DAV was among six high-profile veterans groups that sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) last week expressing “grave concerns” over the House healthcare reform bill and warning that they would actively oppose it if several changes were not made. Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), the ranking member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, successfully offered several amendments that took care of most concerns: ensuring that veterans receiving VA healthcare could also enroll for additional health insurance and that the VA secretary would retain full authority to operate the VA healthcare system without interference from any new organizations or agencies established by the legislation. Buyer also offered an amendment aimed at ensuring that veterans in the VA healthcare system would not be subject to a tax for uninsured or underinsured individuals. While the amendment was withdrawn, Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) said that he would allow Buyer to offer the amendment when the bill is considered on the House floor later this year. Buyer’s “amendments and bipartisan support from Chairman Waxman are big steps in the right direction,” Dempsey said in a statement. “The DAV will continue to do more analysis of this voluminous bill, not to mention future versions, before we can have true assurance that veterans are protected. “But for now, we are pleased lawmakers are willing to make the fixes necessary to protect those who sacrificed to protect us.” Jerald Terwilliger National Vice Chairman American Cold War Veterans, Inc. "We Remember"

Veterans To Protest At LA VA Medical Center

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-flag27-2009jun27,0,3933157.story

The so-called Veterans Revolution says the action at the VA Medical Center in West L.A. is intended to be a symbol of distress. Federal police may have another interpretation.
By Bob Pool

9:29 PM PDT, June 26, 2009 This is one battle that will probably be decided by whichever side is most "distressed" -- officials of the VA Medical Center in West Los Angeles, or a group of protesting veterans.

On Sunday, demonstrators plan to gather by the VA grounds and display an upside-down American flag "as a signal of dire distress." They contend that agency policies have placed the VA property in "extreme danger."

But if that act upsets VA officials, protesters could find themselves facing off with federal police, who view the upended banner as a sign of disrespect to Old Glory.

For 66 consecutive Sundays, a group calling itself the Veterans Revolution has demonstrated outside the Wilshire Boulevard medical facility. The group has, for many years, criticized VA oversight of the 388-acre property.

However, for the first time last Sunday, the protesters flew the Stars and Stripes upside down as part of their campaign. VA police responded with flashing red and blue lights and ordered that the flags be turned right side up or removed.

The faceoff occurred at the end of the planned protest, so veterans "removed them just as we normally do and left peacefully on our own accord," said Robert Rosebrock, one of the organizers.

"The Flag Code allows when property is in danger to display the flag upside down. It states it is a signal of dire distress to 'life or property,' " he said.

The demonstrators were on a city-owned sidewalk near Wilshire and San Vicente boulevards, outside of the VA's jurisdiction, said Rosebrock, a 67-year-old U.S. Army veteran.
But the protesters entered federal property when they attached one upside-down flag to a ceremonial gate, insists Lynn Carrier, the medical center's associate director.

Carrier said she ordered police to the scene when she drove past and noticed another motorist shaking his fist angrily at the flag display. She said VA mental health patients inside the hospital grounds might also have been sensitive to "an inappropriate display on VA property."

The gate on which one of the American flags was attached "is unquestionably federal property," said Ralph Tillman, the VA's director of asset management for Los Angeles-area facilities.

Rosebrock said most passersby honked and waved in support of last weekend's protest.
He said demonstrators may return Sunday with more upside-down flags -- and perhaps an upright lawyer.

bob.pool@latimes.com

Jerald Terwilliger
National Vice Chairman
American Cold War Veterans
"We Remember"

President Obama Says No Charge To Vets

Obama Nixes Plan to Charge Veterans For Service-Related Health Care
By Elana Schor - March 18, 2009, 5:32PM

TPMDC first reported last week on the Obama administration's plans to consider charging veterans' private health insurance for injuries suffered during their service. The proposed move ignited a firestorm on the right in recent days, with the Drudge Report picking up on a critical press release from the American Legion and sparking a letter of protest to the administration this morning from 61 House members.

The scandal abruptly cooled this afternoon, however, when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told a gathering of veterans' groups that the White House had agreed to kill the idea of charging third parties for service-related veterans' health care. Pelosi said:
I'm pleased to announce that we have some good news. Over the past several days, President Obama has listened to the genuine concerns expressed by veterans' leaders and veterans' service organizations regarding the option of billing service connected to veterans' insurance companies.

Based on the respect that President Obama has for our nation's veterans and the principled concerns expressed by veterans' leaders, the President has made the decision that the combat-wounded veterans should not be billed through their insurance policies for combat-related injuries.

And here's the official word from White House spokesman Robert Gibbs:

The President has consistently stated that he is committed to working with veterans on the details of the 2010 VA Budget Proposal. The President demonstrated his deep commitment to veterans by proposing the largest increase in the VA budget in 30 years and calling VSO and MSO leaders into the White House for an unprecedented meeting to discuss various aspects of the budget proposal. In considering the third party billing issue, the administration was seeking to maximize the resources available for veterans; however, the President listened to concerns raised by the VSOs that this might, under certain circumstances, affect veterans and their families' ability to access health care. Therefore, the President has instructed that its consideration be dropped. The President wants to continue a constructive partnership with the VSOs and MSOs and is grateful to those VSOs and MSOs who have worked in good faith with him on the budget proposal.

Jerald Terwilliger
National Vice Chairman
American Cold War Veterans
"We Remember"

Veterans, Veterans, Everywhere: When Will They Be Honored?

Military men and women used and welcomed, given honors while on active duty. Then suddenly when you are discharged and become a Veteran. Who cares? Who remembers? Now you are a second or third class citizen.

World War II vets were probably the last veterans to receive proper recognition. The GI Bill did work for them. Education, housing loans were abundant and all veterans were told what was available to them; how and where to apply.

Korean veterans were a little less lucky, not quite as rosy and welcome return home.
For Vietnam vets it was even worse, reviled; spit on left to fend for themselves.

Cold War veterans have to fight tooth and nail to get any of the "benefits" and "rights" they were promised. Even many of the veterans service organizations deny them membership.

The VFW and American Legion exclude most of these Cold Warriors, they did not serve in the right place or right time frame. Also most are not entilted to VA health care.

The National Defense Service Medal, which is I believe issued when you graduate boot camp; was time specific. Many vets were not elegible to receive it. The Sea Service and Overseas Service ribbons were not created until after many were discharged, and it was not made retoactive to cover their tours.

Today's Iraq and Afghanestan veterans are facing hard times, the lines at VA hospitals or clinics. The injuries suffered by these men and women are more debilating and horrific then ever before. The wonderful treatment they are given in the field is so much better and quicker than previous wars. So more are
surviving wounds that would have been fatal in the past.

If they are lucky enough to be approved for VA care, many have to travel many miles
to get the help, and then still wait for long periods to be seen. Sometimes the doctor they were supposed to see is out of the office. Or when they arrive at the clinic they are told that their classification has been changed and are can no longer receive the same care they got last week.

Many turn to "self medicating" to get through life. They are no longer able to function in the real world.
It is a hard tranition to go from battle fields and constant stress to return to civilian life.

More are becoming homeless as they are unable to pay the mortage. The suicide rate
is growing for veterans as they become hopeless and helpless.

We know that the economy is going down the tubes, jobs are vanishing as companies
downsize. Large and once profitable companys are going under and loosing money.
Health care, food and basics are all suffering and prices continue to rise.

So while Congress is handing out money to the financial institutions and the auto industry what is going to happen to the country's veterans. Yup you guessed it, even more cuts in health care, stricter elegibilty requirements, longer waits to see a doctor.

We have some hope that the new administration will do some house cleaning, get the VA
back on track. Restore some veterans rights and benefits.

But, we have to instigate change, contact your elected officials tell them that VA mustvbe fully funded, and properly staffed to handle the ever growing group of veterans needing care.

And once again press the POW/MIA issue, demand a full accounting and repatration of all our missing. They are not forgotten, lets bring them home now to bring closure to their families; some of whom have been waiting for over 60 years.

At this time I will not even go into the Cold War Victory/Service Medal, as much as I desire to see this medal issued this year. Just a small honor for those who gave their all. Thevforgotten heroes of the Cold War

Jerald Terwilliger, Vice Chairman/Treasurer
American Cold War Veterans
www.americancoldwarvets.org
"We Remember"

A Plea To and For the Veterans Administration

As the fighting continues in Iraq and Afghanistan more and more of our military members are becoming "Wounded Warriors". Who will help them?

These brave and dedicated men and women, some of who endured two, three and even more tours in places of danger. Placing the lives on the line everyday, serving their country and defending the freedom; and hopefully the democracry of these nations, wanting only to stabilize their governments.

Now the injured, who by far outnumber the casualties of any other war; due to the wonderful and advancedcare they are given in the field, are arriving home to less than perfect conditions. They are returning missing limbs, with traumatic brain injury, suffering PTSD and a whole host of problems. The VA is unable to keepup and things just seem to be getting worse.

They face long and difficult recovery times. They are made to stand in long lines and wait for hours fortreatment. Their families suffer along with them, many family members give up their jobs to be closeto their loved ones. The pain and suffering does not end quickly or easily, it can drag on for years.

As these men and women are released and sent home it becomes even worse. They may have to travel very long distances to find a VA treatment center. And the wait and filling out forms continues and grows as time passes. This leads to even more mental problems as the depression deepens, and the feeling of being inadequate and hopless or worthless becomes a bigger burden.

Many become homeless, unable to work, they can not make the mortgage payments. Their debt increases as they max out their credit cards just trying to survive. Some turn to drugs or alcohol to ease the strain, whichof course does not help; but just make matters worse. Families sometimes fall apart due to the stress, thenever ending problems become just too much. This can lead to seperation or divorce, which brings on deeper depression.

The number of veterans taking their own lives is increasing, unable to endure any more pain, one more "come back in a month". Or some being told that their mental problems are not service connected, they had problems when they enlisted, and thus are not eligible for veterans benefits. They feel there is nothing left, no where to turn for help. No one to guide them, hold their hand and let them cry. Why should I go on fighting this?

Each and everyone of us who served in the military were given glowing promises of health care, education assistance, low interest rate home loans and other means of help when we left the service. We stood up for our country. Now it is time for our country to stand up for the veterans!

As a Cold War Veteran, because I did not face combat or serve in a "declared" war, I am told I am not a "real veteran". My service time means nothing, it does not count. So I am suffering with depression, and PTSD, but can not get the proper help. Ten years of being a Radioman, most of it spent with earphones on my head listening to the static and dit-dah-dit has left me with ringing in my ears, and hearing loss. I just go on with life and try to enjoy it as much as possible. With the help of my loving wife and our little "family" of four dogs and five cats I manage to make it. I have a good life, with good days and bad days, just like everyone else.

We all know the VA is understaffed and under funded, and and overworked. The VA is trying hard to catch up with the large influx of people needing care. There are many doctors and nurses that are doing their best, with what they have. Those that care and try to make a difference deserve the praise and thanks of our nation. But, there are too few of them to handle the needs of our service personnel or veterans.

So my plea is, that with the new administration soon to take charge of Veterans Affairs that immediate steps be taken to ensure our warriors are given the best care available. Anything less than that would be unacceptableand would just continue the injustice.

Of course we realize that Congress must increase funding for the Va,and that we are in deep financial trouble, but are these men and women not more deserving than Wall Street or the Auto Industry?

Is it right, is it fair to turn our backs on our military and veterans; to treat them as second or third classcitizens? No, of course not. Why should they be pushed to the end of a very long line? Take a few of thoseBillions of dollars we are throwing at the banking and auto industries and use it for health care for these deserving heroes.

The VA should also rescind the section eight class and bring all veterans back into the fold and allow every veteran the right to receive the care they were told they could and would receive. Yes, it will cost more money and add to the already overflowing VA hospitals and clinics; but do they not deserve at least this?

We as a nation should be ashamed and outraged that this problem has existed for such a long time, that nothing has been done to correct this ongoing mistreatment and mismanagement. We must not, we can not allow any further delay.

How can we expect to keep our troops at fightingstrength, ask young men and women to volunteer to place their lives in jepordy if our country will not keep our promisses? If we
do not give them proper and functioning equipment.

Perhaps I should have entitled this as a Plea to Congress. I ask and urge every person in America to contact all their elected officials. Tell them that VA must be funded fully, and immediately, we can no longer allow this travesty to continue. Let the 111th Congress be the turning point, the one to say enough is enough; we will honor our commitment. There will be no more delays, no more wait till next year. We will do the right thing.

Oh yes, one other thing; demand an immediate accounting for all POW/MIA's, bring them home. They are not forgotten. Tell your state officials to follow the example of Pennsylvania, establish centers for collection of mtDNA. This Pennsylvania Project, A Model For The Nation begun by Robin Piacine, President of The Coalition Of Families Of Korean And Cold War POW/MIA's is a tremendous undertaking. You can read more about this on their webiste http://www.coalitionoffamilies.org/new/default.aspThis is a project that every state should institute without further delay.

Jerald TerwilligerNational Vice ChairmanAmerican Cold War Veteranswww.americancoldwarvets.org"We Remember"