Willimantic: Courtney listens to veterans frustration, Norwich Bulletin

Willimantic: Courtney listens to veterans’ frustration

By FRAN MORALES

Norwich Bulletin

July 27, 2008

Willimantic, Conn. — U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, met with more than 50 veterans Saturday to talk about health benefits contained in the proposed Veterans Affairs budget.

Congress is scheduled to take up the 2009 veterans appropriations bill this week.

Veterans at the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Willimantic vented their frustrations about the Veterans Affairs system and a faltering economy.

Dave Motowidlak, 55, of Canterbury is a veteran of the Vietnam and Gulf wars who struggles with hearing loss and a score of illnesses associated with his time in combat.

He attributed his constant tingling sensation from being exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam.

Motowidlak said he has encountered problems with Veterans Affairs system. He said he has had trouble getting benefits.

“The system is broken and it’s been broken,” he said. “We have too many people hurting.”

Courtney said if the proposed bill passes, it would help veterans like Motowidlak get better service.

The proposed bill provides a total of $47.7 billion in funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs, $2.9 billion more than the president’s request and $4.6 billion more than fiscal year 2008. With this increase, the Veterans Affairs Department can hire 1,400 new claims processors to continue to reduce the claims backlog, helping to reduce delay.

“People should not have to go through a Mickey Mouse process to get approved by claims,” Courtney said.

The budget would also reserve funding to enhance quality care for veterans who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan, particularly those with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.

The budget also includes $116 million more to increase availability of new generation prosthetics; $58 million to restore the cuts taken by the department for medical research in trauma, mental health and other areas that are critical to finding the best treatments for veterans and would provide $40 million more to hire additional case workers and medical services needed for homeless veterans.