Veterans
Our security and our freedom do not come without a price. U.S. troops are stationed around the world to protect our way of life -- some of them eventually making the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Like you, I’m grateful and dependent on their service and believe we have a moral responsibility to demonstrate our appreciation through providing veterans excellent health care, pension benefits and help in the transition to civilian life back home.
There is absolutely no excuse for any failure to provide the best in treatment and services to veterans in need of medical assistance. That means fully funding our veterans health care programs, and making sure that veterans that have access to quality health care close to their homes. I have made achieving these goals a priority as a U.S. Senator for Colorado, and I support legislation to authorize advance resources for medical care for veterans. I also have worked with the other members of the Colorado delegation to fight for a stand alone veterans hospital at Fitzsimmons, eventually winning a commitment from the Obama Administration to make Fitzsimmons happen.
The consequences of war for our servicemen and women are not always physical. Many Colorado veterans come home suffering from serious mental health and brain injuries, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). They need immediate, consistent, coordinated and reliable treatment. Recent reports from Fort Carson also make it clear that, left untreated, such trauma can lead to serious injury to the veteran, his or her family, and to strangers. We need an integrated health care system that is effective in diagnosis and treatment of the mental injuries of war to help troops get back to living a normal life.
Veterans are some of our most talented people, and they have proven to be uniquely dedicated to making America a success. We should be harnessing their sound strategic and analytical abilities to help spark our economic recovery and help the United States compete in the global economy. Armed with education and training, veterans will make their mark back into civilian employment. The new G.I. Bill provides college tuition and a stipend to veterans who have served since the 2001 terrorist attacks. Like its predecessor, this bill is an essential component to helping veterans transition back to civilian life and I will do whatever is necessary to ensure the smooth and timely administration of this program.
Families and close friends often take on the long-term treatment and aid to veterans in need of care. In doing so, these families provide veterans with another, and often more appealing, alternative to institutional care as they transition back to civilian life. These families and friends should be provided with the resources they need to provide care and keep their family afloat. I am currently a cosponsor of legislation, the Family Caregiver Program Act of 2009 (S. 801), which would provide training and assistance, ongoing support services, counseling and mental health services, respite care, medical care and a monthly personal allowance to caregivers taking care of veterans at home. The legislation will allow caregivers to more easily provide better care to veterans returning home.
Veterans should never be denied benefits because of technical problems in the law. The first piece of legislation I introduced as a U.S. Senator was legislation that would change a glitch in the system that currently denies some active military personnel the ability to qualify for WIC benefits and combat pay at the same time. This legislation was folded into the FY2010 Agriculture Appropriations bill which has passed the Senate. I am optimistic that by the end of the year, this common sense assistance for our combat families can be signed into law and fixed permanently.
I am also a cosponsor of legislation that would allow veterans to receive both military retired pay and veteran disability compensation or combat pay. Currently, veterans are subject to a decrease in their retirement benefits or combat pay equal to the amount of their disability payments. There is no reason that veterans should be penalized, especially for service related disabilities.
Colorado veterans have been fighting for a long time for a veterans’ cemetery in southern Colorado. I believe that Colorado’s veterans and their families deserve a final resting place that is close to home, and that the new cemetery would be a fitting tribute to their service and sacrifice. That is why I have introduced legislation that would establish a new veterans cemetery in southern Colorado.
