Post by RHMorgan on Apr 22, 2007 13:46:47 GMT -5
House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Statement of Norman Rosenshein, National Commander, Jewish War Veterans of the USA
Testimony Before the House and Senate Committees on Veterans' Affairs
March 8, 2007
Statement of Norman Rosenshein, National Commander, Jewish War Veterans of the USA
Testimony Before the House and Senate Committees on Veterans' Affairs
March 8, 2007
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction.
No Government Funding.
DVA Funding.
Mandatory Funding For The VA.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
The Military Coalition.
Priority Group 8 Veterans.
Support For The National Guard And Reserve.
The Independent Budget
Back-Up To DoD..
Homeland Security.
Veterans Health Administration.
Third Party Reimbursement And Medical Care Collections Funds.
Long Term Care.
Asbestos Trust Fund.
Veterans Benefits Administration.
Veterans Education.
Women In The Military.
Meeting The Special Needs Of Women Veterans.
Homeless Veterans.
Concurrent Receipt
Filipino Veterans.
Ex-Prisoners Of War
POW-MIAs.
National Cemetery Administration (Nca)
Adequate Reimbursement Of Expenses.
Honoring All Native American Code Talkers.
Prostate Screening Required By The Department Of Veterans Affairs.
Sonny’ Montgomery.
Stealth Attack On The Veteran.
Support For Families And Service Members.
Veterans With Mental Health Conditions.
Strengthen “Seamless Transition” Initiatives.
Veterans' Personal Information
Disabled Veterans Tax Fairness.
Paired Organ Legislation For Blinded Veterans.
Conclusion.
INTRODUCTION
Chairman Filner, Chairman Akaka, and Members of the House and Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, my fellow veterans and friends, I am Norman Rosenshein, the National Commander of the Jewish War Veterans of the U.S.A. (JWV). JWV is Congressionally Chartered and also provides counseling and assistance to members encountering problems dealing with the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and other government agencies. JWV is an active participant in The Military Coalition, a group of over 30 military associations and veterans’ organizations representing over five million active duty, reserve and retired uniformed service personnel and veterans on Capitol Hill.
I am accompanied today by the Chairman of our Coordinating Committee, PNC Robert M. Zweiman, who is also JWV’s International Liaison, the President of our Ladies Auxiliary, Marie Vegotsky, the President of our National Museum of American Jewish Military History, PNC Jack Berman, the Chairman of our National Executive Committee, PNC Michael Berman, the Director of our National Service Office Program, PDC Ed Robins, and our National Executive Director, Colonel Herb Rosenbleeth. In the audience today are those JWV members who are here to meet with their Senators and Representatives as part of JWV’s Capitol Hill Action Day.
Members of the committee, it was a singular honor for me to present the JWV Medal of Merit to Senator Daniel Akaka (HI), at our Congressional Reception yesterday evening, in recognition of his truly outstanding work for America’s veterans. It was equally rewarding to JWV to have so many of you participate with us!
Mr. Chairman, next week, on March 15th to be exact, we at JWV will celebrate JWV’s 111th birthday. For these 111 years, JWV has advocated a strong national defense and a just and fair recognition and compensation for veterans. The Jewish War Veterans of the USA prides itself in being in the forefront among our nation’s civic and veterans groups in supporting the well-earned rights of veterans, in promoting American democratic principles, in defending universal Jewish causes and in vigorously opposing bigotry, anti-Semitism and terrorism both here and abroad. Today, even more than ever before, we stand for these principles. The Jewish War Veterans of the U.S.A. represents a proud tradition of patriotism and service to the United States of America.
As the National Commander of the Jewish War Veterans of the USA (JWV), I thank you for the opportunity to present the views of our 100,000 members on issues under the jurisdiction of your committee. At the conclusion of JWV’s 111th National Convention in Richmond, VA, our convention delegates adopted our resolutions for the 110th Congress. These mandates establish the legislative agenda for JWV during my year as National Commander.
JWV believes Congress has a unique obligation to ensure that veterans’ benefits are regularly reviewed and improved to keep pace with the needs of all veterans in a changing social and economic environment. JWV salutes the Chairmen and Members of both the Senate and the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee for the landmark veterans’ legislation enacted over the past several years. Eligibility improvement, patient enrollment, long-term care, access to emergency care, enhanced VA/DoD sharing, improved preference rights of veterans in the federal government and other initiatives recognize the debt this country owes to those who have faithfully served our country.
We must improve access to veterans’ health care, increase timeliness in the benefit claims process, and enhance access to national cemeteries and to state cemeteries for all veterans.
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DVA FUNDING
There are a significant number of troops returning stateside from deployments overseas with physiological and psychological disabilities and injuries such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Unfortunately, the funding requests from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the response of the Congress have been driven more by politics than by need. The DVA has sought to cut the number of veterans being served as well as the spectrum of services being provided to the detriment of those who honorably and bravely answered the call of our great Nation in its need. The only sure method of avoiding the politicalization of the annual funding process is to mandate adequate realistic financial support of the DVA.
The Jewish War Veterans of the USA demands Congress pass such legislation as would mandate the adequate funding of the DVA based on caseload, such caseload being set by all veterans who honorably served, rather than the arbitrary and capricious methodology of need being utilized.
JWV strongly urges Congress to ensure that sufficient funding is authorized and appropriated for the Department of Veterans Affairs in general, and for the Veterans Health Administration in particular, so that it can fulfill its obligation to care for all of our nation’s sick and disabled veterans.
There have been too many years of under-funding the needs of our nation’s veterans. Adequate funding of the VA, especially for health care, must be updated by the Congress and quickly!
MANDATORY FUNDING FOR THE VA
JWV’s major legislative goal continues to be the passage of Mandatory Funding for the VA, thus providing an assured adequate level of funding for veterans’ health care. This legislation would require the Secretary of the Treasury to make available to the Secretary of Veteran Affairs for programs, functions, and activities of the Veterans Health Administration for FY 2008.
Demand for VA health care still outpaces the capacity to deliver care in a timely manner. Within the priority system established in law, Congress should appropriate sufficient funds for all veterans the VA has agreed to treat through the enrollment process. That's not happening today as more and more veterans are triaged for care on waiting lists. Even a Presidential Task Force (May 2003) strongly recommended full funding for enrolled veterans, but so far the administration and Congress have ignored the recommendation. Consistent with the Presidential Task Force, JWV supports “full [VA health care] funding . . . through modifications to the current budget and appropriations process, [either] by using a mandatory funding mechanism, or by some other changes in the process that achieve the desired goal.”
Caring for our veterans is part of the cost of war. Caring for our veterans is a continuing cost of this nation’s national security!
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See Table of Contents for topics found at the link below.
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