This we believe

VFW Magazine, Nov, 2002 by Ronald F. Conley, Ray C. Sisk, Edward R. Heath, Sr.

"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation."

--George Washington

A new generation of young Americans is once again deployed around the world, answering our nation's wartime call to arms. Like so many brave men and women who honorably served before them, these new veterans are fighting, to the death when necessary, for the freedom, liberty and security of all. Also, like those who fought before them, today's veterans deserve the due respect of a grateful nation when they come home.

Unfortunately, without urgent changes in health-care funding, our new veterans will soon discover their battles are not over. They will be forced to fight for the life of a health-care system that was designed specifically for their unique needs. Just as veterans of the 20th century did, they will be forced into a long-standing battle to fulfill America's promise to make that system accessible to all veterans.

United, the three largest veterans service organizations in the United States--The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled American Veterans--believe no veteran should be forced to fight for the care he or she is entitled to receive.

We believe it is time to guarantee health-care funding for all veterans. We believe health-care rationing must end. We believe it is time the promise is kept.

Access to quality health care for veterans has been compromised in recent years by budget shortfalls, rising medical costs and dramatically increased demand. VA estimates there will be 4.9 million unique veteran patients in Fiscal Year 2003, a 31.5 percent increase from the 3.7 million projected only a year ago. Today, some 300,000 American veterans are waiting for appointments in VA facilities. Approximately half of those men and women will wait six months or longer for an appointment. VA must be adequately funded to meet its own growth and end these intolerable waiting periods.

We believe the current discretionary funding formula, in which VA must compete with other agencies for scarce budget dollars, must be replaced. Our organizations, with more than seven million members, strongly support passage of the bipartisan Veterans Health Care Funding Act of 2002, introduced as H.R. 5250 by House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Christopher H. Smith (R-N.J.) and Lane Evans (D-Ill.). The Senate version was introduced as S. 2903 by South Dakota Democrat Sen. Tim Johnson. Once signed into law, the act would affix VA healthcare funding to the actual average cost of care for veterans enrolled in the system, with annual indexing for inflation. We believe the only way VA can fulfill its mission is to guarantee the funding it needs to operate.

The brave men and women who are currently deployed to far-off regions of the world must be assured the VA health-care system will be there for them when they come home. If we fail to deliver that promise, if we fail to give VA a fighting chance to fulfill its duty, what then is the new generation of veterans expected to believe?

Ronald F. Conley

National Commander

The American Legion

The American Legion

National Headquarters

700 N. Pennsylvania

Indianapolis, IN 46204

(317) 630-1200

Ray C. Sisk

National Commander in Chief

Veterans of Foreign Wars

Veterans of Foreign Wars

National Headquarters

406 West 34th Street

Kansas City, MO 64111

(816) 756-3390

Edward R. Heath, Sr.

National Commander

Disabled American Veterans

Disabled American Veterans

National Service &

Legislative Headquarters

807 Maine Ave., S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20024

(202) 554-3501