Below are talking points for the upcoming Mid-Winter Conference.  If
you are attending the conference, they will be available as handouts.  If
not, these are the major issues we are working on during this session
of Congress; if you are visiting or writing to your elected officials,
please mention these items whenever possible.  As always, thank you for
your support of our legislative efforts.

1.SUPPORT MANDATORY FUNDING FOR DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HEALTH
CARE


2.TO MAINTAIN SERVICES FOR VETERANS, CONGRESS MUST PROVIDE FUNDING
ABOVE THE LEVEL IN THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET


3.SUPPORT FULL CONCURRENT RECEIPT FOR ALL DISABLED
CAREER MILITARY RETIREES
_________________________________________________________________

SUPPORT MANDATORY FUNDING FOR DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HEALTH
CARE

The current discretionary funding method for veterans' health care is
broken.  As a result, the needs of our nation's sick and disabled
veterans are not being met.  For two consecutive years, the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) has not received its appropriation in a timely
fashion.  On January 22, 2004, four months into the current fiscal year, the
Senate passed the Omnibus Appropriations Act, which contains the
spending levels for VA programs for fiscal year 2004.  Although the VA
health
care budget was increased by approximately $2.6 billion above last
year's level, it was still nearly $600 million less than recommended in The
Independent Budget and the Congressional Budget Resolution.

The lack of a consistent and reliable budget process has prevented VA
from adequately planning for and meeting the growing needs of veterans
seeking health care.  VA's enrolled patient population grown from 2.9
million in 1996 to nearly 7 million in 2003, a 134 percent increase.
However, appropriated funding for VA medical care only increased 44
percent from $16.6 billion in 1996 to $23.9 billion in 2003.  Continued
funding shortfalls, combined with rising costs for medical care and
increased demand for services, have resulted in unprecedented waiting times
for
routine and specialized medical services nationwide.

In May 2001, President Bush created the President's Task Force to
Improve Health Care Delivery for our Nation's Veterans (PTF).  The PTF
identified a significant mismatch between demand for VA services and
available funding, which, if left unresolved, would delay veterans' access
to
health care and threaten the quality of care provided, in the PTF's
estimation.  As an option, the PTF suggested full funding should occur
through modifications to the budget and appropriations process, by using a
mandatory funding mechanism.

In response to the current crisis in VA health care, the DAV and eight
other veterans service organizations formed the Partnership for
Veterans Health Care Budget Reform.  We strongly believe that mandatory
funding will provide a comprehensive solution for VA's health care funding
crisis and that all enrolled veterans should be included under a
mandatory funding mechanism.

Because of their extraordinary sacrifices and contributions, veterans
have earned the right to free health care as a continuing cost of
national defense.  Mandatory health care funding would not create an
individual entitlement to health care, nor change the VA's current mission.
Guaranteeing veterans' health care funding would, however, eliminate the
year-to-year uncertainty about funding levels that has prevented the VA
from being able to adequately plan for and meet the growing needs of
veterans seeking treatment.

We urge House members to support H.R. 2318, the Assured Funding for
Veterans Health Care Act of 2003.

We urge Senators to support S. 50, the Veterans Health Care Funding
Guarantee Act of 2003.

TO MAINTAIN SERVICES FOR VETERANS, CONGRESS MUST PROVIDE FUNDING
ABOVE THE LEVEL IN THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET

The President's budget request for fiscal year 2005 would make deep
cuts in spending on veterans' programs and would thereby degrade benefits
and services to our Nation's veterans, particularly sick and disabled
veterans seeking medical care and disability benefits.

Those special few who fight our wars and serve in our Armed Forces do
so at great risk to their own health and life and make extraordinary
sacrifices for all other citizens of our country.  Only through their
willingness to serve and sacrifice do we enjoy the freedoms we have, in the
strongest and most prosperous nation on earth.  All citizens do not
personally serve in our military, but each of our citizens has a
responsibility to provide for the common defense.  Veterans' benefits are a
continuing cost of war and national defense.  Accordingly, citizens
willingly and gratefully contribute to this national burden in part through
their support of veterans' programs.  Veterans' programs are a priority
for the American people, and they should always be a priority for our
representative government.  Unfortunately, the President' budget does not
reflect this time-honored principle.

To many veterans, the availability of medical care through the
Department of Veterans Affairs means the difference between health and
sickness, life and death.  The difference between prompt medical care and
delayed medical care can also mean the difference between recovery and
chronic illness, life and death.  Under-funding of the VA's medical care
system has already resulted in long waiting times for many sick and
disabled veterans needing medical attention.  If Congress does not provide
funding substantially above the amount the President requested for
veterans' medical care, the already bad situation will only be made much
worse.  Veterans needing medical attention for illnesses will wait longer
for appointments, and some veterans will be denied care altogether.  For
them, the course Congress chooses means the difference between health
and sickness or, for some, life and death.

The President's budget requests $26.9 billion in appropriations for
veterans' medical care.  Because this amounts to only 1.2 % above last
year's appropriation, it is less than the rate of inflation and actually
represents a reduction in funding.  The Independent Budget-which is
prepared by the DAV, AMVETS, PVA, and VFW and which is based on real
resource needs rather than political considerations-recommends a minimum of
$29.791 billion in appropriations (apart from money VA collects) for
veterans' medical care.

The President's budget also seeks to shift the costs of veterans'
medical care from the Government to veterans themselves, by imposing a $250
annual enrollment fee and higher co-payments for some veterans.  This
departs from the fundamental principle that veterans' benefits are
provided to veterans free by a grateful nation in return for their service
and is just another way of reneging on the Government's moral obligation
to care for veterans.

In addition, the President's budget threatens veterans' programs by
requesting a reduction in personnel to process and decide benefit claims.
VA has struggled for years to overcome large claims backlogs and
consequent delays in the delivery of benefits, such as disability
compensation, to veterans who have immediate needs for the benefits.
Moreover, VA
projects substantial increases in the number of benefit claims in FY
2005.  For VA's Veterans Benefits Administration, the President's budget
requests 829 fewer employees for FY 2005 than VBA had at the end of the
fiscal year we have just completed, FY 2003.  The President's budget
recommends 12,198 full-time employees (FTE) for VBA in FY 2005.  The
Independent Budget recommends 13,184 FTE for VBA in 2005.

* Congress should provide $29.791 billion in appropriations for
veterans' medical care in FY 2005

* Congress should not impose any additional charges upon veterans for
medical care

* Congress should provide appropriations for 13,184 FTE in VBA for FY
2005

SUPPORT FULL CONCURRENT RECEIPT FOR ALL DISABLED
CAREER MILITARY RETIREES

For nearly two decades, disabled military retirees have fought to end
the unfair law that requires forfeiture of career retirement pay in
order to receive veterans' disability compensation.  Many disappointing
years passed before Congress even acknowledged that the offset between the
two benefits was unfair.  Then, for a number of years, majorities in
both the House and Senate proclaimed the unfairness should end, but still
did nothing substantive to resolve the problem.

Now, measures have been taken to slowly ease the offset by phasing out
the unfair law that bans concurrent receipt, but only for a portion of
disabled military retirees.  The move is in the right direction, but
far from adequate.  All career retirees should receive all the benefits
they have earned immediately.  This unfair law should also be repealed
for everyone affected by it; there should be no eligibility criteria,
based on a veteran's level of disability, to determine entitlement to
justice.  What is unfair to a veteran who is 50 percent disabled is
equally unfair to a disabled veteran with a 40 percent disability.

Congress and the President must fix the concurrent receipt problem now,
and for good.  The issue will not go away as long as the injustice
continues.

Support a full repeal of the unfair prohibition on the concurrent
receipt of military retired pay and VA disability compensation for all
disabled career military retirees.
 

Is there a presidential candidate that is for veteran
issues?

I've been going to the VA since 1968. While it was
never really there for Vietnam Veterans I am concerned
for the new veterans who are coming home and will need
VA services. It's hard to think of how much lower the
VA can sink. I seldom get to see an actual doctor
since they use nurses, medics and others for medical
services. I just had to wait 3 months to see a foot
doctor. In the years that I have used the VA medical
services I would say that the greatest accomplishment
of the VA has been to drive entitled veterans away
from receiving the services that the veterans pre-paid
for with their military service. One of the first
things the government said when so many Gulf War vets
were suffering from Gulf War syndrome was that they
weren't going to do the same thing to them that they
did to Vietnam Veterans....then they did. My point of
this little rant is that the VA medical centers are
shells containing third rate medical care.


Is there any candidate that is aware that there is a
problem and willing to do something about it?


Jim Thompson RTO BRO 66-68