Veterans’ Van provides free transport for eastern Connecticut, Reminder News

Veterans’ Van provides free transport for eastern Connecticut

REMINDER NEWS

BY CAITLIN M. DINEEN
Staff Writer For story ideas contact Caitlin M. Dineen at cdineen@remindernet .com

May 9, 2008

After five months of work on the part of Congressman Joe Courtney and the Veterans’ Advisory Committee (VAC), aided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Disabled American Veterans, driving services have begun for veterans in eastern Connecticut.

The service provides rides to appointments at West Haven or Newington Veterans Affairs medical locations. The van is in operation every day of the week, with local VFW volunteers dedicating time to those who need assistance . The van was purchased after Courtney and the VAC recognized a need for reliable transportation in the district. "People are voting with their feet," said Courtney, adding that the price of gas has been having a negative impact on veterans and other Americans.

Courtney’s field representative for Military and Veteran Affairs, Ed Burke, said the van has only been in operation for a month and a half, but word about the service has circulated quickly. While certain veterans receive mileage reimbursement for medical appointments , the service is free of charge for all who need it. "Transportation has been a constant issue," said Courtney, adding that the VAC has been "very effective addressing high gas prices."

The volume of the van use is "always increasing" said Courtney. He and the VAC are in the process of obtaining a second van to evenly distribute driving services to the northeastern sections of the state.

Volunteer driver Leonard Barry is one of the four drivers who operate the van, four times a week. "It’s been rewarding to help disabled veterans," said Barry. According to Barry, the program started off slowly, but has grown into a successful and busy service.

Commander of VFW Post 10004 in Jewett City, Raymond Elliot expressed his appreciation for the van and the services it is providing for veterans. "The system is finally turning around to help the veterans," said Elliot. He had been providing rides for fellow veterans, before this transportation service began. Elliot said that he volunteered his time to drive veterans because to him money for gas and a few hours out of his day could make a huge difference for someone who needs help.

Elliot said he believes that the van was provided for the sole purpose of helping local veterans. "We’re doing it for the veterans’ needs," said Elliot, "not for the glory."

For rides to West Haven please call (203) 932-5711 extension 3575 or call (860) 667-6759 for rides to Newington.

Hartford Courant Editorial : The Extra Mile For Veterans

January 25, 2008- For three decades, the federal rate for reimbursing disabled veterans traveling to Veterans Administration hospitals for medical treatments was stuck at 11 cents per mile. That was shamefully tight-fisted.

Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan and their families have endured prolonged tours of duty and significant hardships — physical, emotional and economic. Yet in many cases, the benefits they and veterans of other conflicts receive on their return home have been worse than inadequate. In some cases, they've been downright insulting.

The mileage rate was one example. Veterans disabled in the course of service to their country deserve gratitude for their sacrifice. Yet 11 cents a mile was hardly an expression of thanks; it barely rated as a mumble.

Connecticut's U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney has been a particularly strong advocate for increasing benefits on behalf of veterans. On Dec. 21, he wrote a letter to President Bush urging the release of $3.7 billion in emergency funds requested by Congress to boost benefits.

Last week, President Bush released those funds.

Among other things, the money will raise the mileage reimbursement rate for disabled veterans to 28.5 cents per mile. It also provides for the hiring of 1,800 employees to process veterans' claims, eventually reducing the logjam of 400,000 veterans who have been awaiting benefits. The funding will also go toward expanded mental-health care and improved treatment for traumatic brain injuries.

This funding is obviously critical to veterans who need care. But it also sends an important message to all veterans that their sacrifices are acknowledged and honored. For these men and women, even something as straightforward as a 17.5-cent boost in the mileage rate is no small change.

Westerly Sun: "Rep. Courtney right to try to force VA’s hand in releasing vets’ info to the states"

It would be nice if wounded Iraq War veterans and their families didn't need an act of Congress to get the federal and state veterans' agencies on the same page when it comes to providing them with the care and benefits they've earned.

The sad fact is, they do. Connecticut officials have taken the lead in fighting the federal government's abject refusal to even notify state veterans' agencies when wounded service personnel are returning home. And in that vein, Connecticut's 2nd District Congressman, Joe Courtney, D­ - Vernon, deserves kudos for taking a lead role in filing the " Wounded Warrior Assistance Act of 2007", a bill that would require the feds to provide states the information they need to connect with returning war veterans when they head back home.

The issue came to a head last week, when Connecticut Veterans Affairs Commissioner Linda Schwartz told a presi­dential panel that the federal government's Veterans' Administration simply must begin sharing more information about wounded soldiers returning from Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, so that states can do a better job helping them.

Schwartz noted that the states – all of the states, though Connecticut has stepped to the forefront – are not asking for money to fund any veterans' services. They're only asking that the VA notify state veterans' service providers when a wounded service person is being released from federal VA care and headed for home. The issue applies to injured serv­ice members who are still listed on active duty, and those who have been discharged with veterans' status and are thus eligible for a variety of benefits.

"Our question is, why can't we, the states, be considered partners?" Schwartz said. That indeed is a very good question.

Federal officials will tell you that it's not that simple – that federal VA medical facilities are bound by national health­privacy laws from making any such information public unless given express consent to do so by the patients and/ or their families. But let's face it: as they're recovering from war wounds, the last thing on the minds of wounded veterans may be whether their federal caregivers should notify state veterans' service agencies when they're returning home.

VA officials have offered to notify the state if a " severely disabled" Connecticut soldier was returning home, Schwartz said. But that leaves out the vast majority of injured service members, she noted – and it leaves questions as to precisely what the VA means by " severely disabled."

Schwartz also noted that the state is not asking for what might be termed " privileged information" regarding the veterans' wounds. The state simply wants to be able to get the name, the home address, and a time when a soldier is expect­ed home. That would hardly seem to violate privacy statutes, but the VA continues to hold firm.

At its core, this seems little more than a turf war between the VA and the state veterans' service agencies. And it's a bureaucratic battle that leaves those returning from a very real war in the middle. That's a shame.

There's no reason why a federal agency and state groups all seeking to provide care for our returning veterans should have to be told to communicate and work as partners. But, in this scenario, it seems that's the case.

Given that, Courtney is right to try to legislatively force the VA's hand. All of our returning wounded veterans deserve the best in care and services – without any red tape blocking that path.

Norwich Bulletin Editorial: U.S. soldiers should receive adequate care

May 12, 2007 - With the debate raging about how to handle the war in Iraq, a very important issue is being lost. How do we handle the growing number of war veterans this country is creating?

The United States is already woeful in its treatment of veterans, with sub-standard health care and broken promises of other benefits. This country, in good conscience, cannot continue to send men and women to war without a plan to honor their service when they return. Even those who return without physical wounds often have other battles they must face once home. In some cases, the emotional wounds can be long-lasting and devastating. There are financial strains and marital challenges. And, there is a disproportionate number of homeless who are veterans.

The Connecticut congressional delegation has been sporadically active on the issue. U.S Sens. Chris Dodd and Joseph Lieberman have been addressing housing and health-care issues for veterans. Dodd is also calling for a change in a Veterans Affairs policy providing grave markers.

U.S Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, has been more active on a variety of veterans' issues, including pushing for more funding for the VA and creating a pilot program to better transition soldiers from Armed Services to Veterans Affairs. Currently, many Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are being lost in the shuffle.

Courtney has also been critical of Veterans Affairs. While he advocates for more funding for the department, he also is adamant much needs to be done to clean up the way it operates. He has chastised the department for giving bonuses totaling $3.8 million for the entire department.

We hope Courtney will keep up his push on the issue. Dodd should show some presidential foresight and tackle the veterans' situation. But, it is Lieberman who should be the loudest voice on this issue. He has been adamant the surge of troops in Iraq is necessary. It would the moral thing for Lieberman to start shouting about the rights and benefits we should be giving these troops when they return home.

Regardless of feelings about the war, it is time to stop paying lip service to honoring our military and show them real support by ensuring they have the assistance they need when they come home.

House Backs Wounded Warrior Provisions

As printed in The Day, March 29, 2007: The House voted unanimously Wednesday to require better and more individualized case management for veterans receiving outpatient health care and for the creation of a new hotline for reporting deficiencies in health-care facilities.

Aiming to reduce bureaucratic procedures in the wake of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center scandal, the Wounded Warrior Assistance Act also would require the Department of Defense to physically provide medical records of retiring or separating veterans to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

During debate before Wednesday's vote, U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney (D-2nd District) called the existing method for the transfer of medical records "inexcusable," saying it is the biggest problem with the current system and has left some servicemen unaccounted for. He noted that patients in Connecticut sometimes wait more than 600 days for claims to be processed.

"There is a poor system of interface between the two" departments in caring for veterans, Courtney said in an interview last week. With the passage of the bill, he said, "there won't be this paper chase that's going on right now that's slowing down and backing up the system."

Courtney successfully offered an amendment in the House Armed Services Committee to take the bill a step further by requiring that the Department of Veterans Affairs also notify the state veterans affairs departments when a veteran is returning home.

"The state VA can't even get involved to help people because they don't know when people are getting discharged back to Connecticut," Courtney said, noting that the Connecticut Department of Veterans' Affairs offers programs beyond the offerings of the federal department, including educational benefits, tax abatements and certain job preferences in hiring for state employment.

"The quicker the DVA can start interacting with the families and the veterans, the more help they can get," Courtney said.

Because some opponents said the release of a veteran's contact information would be an invasion of the veteran's privacy, he said, the measure was amended to require a veteran to consent to the release of information to the state departments.

Commissioner Linda Schwartz of the Connecticut Department of Veterans' Affairs said her office has advocated for this measure in the past.

But she said she worries that some veterans who have traumatic brain injury may be unsure of how to respond to the question about keeping their contact information private. "Leaving it up to the veterans sometimes is not as productive as it could be," she said.

Schwartz said she herself was a reservist injured in an aircraft accident while on active duty and had to wait three years before receiving help from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

With the service member's consent, members of Congress also would be notified every time a patient from their district is being treated within the Veterans Affairs health-care system. Courtney explained: "If I'm notified there is someone from Vernon, for example, that is going to be treated, we'll certainly assign a staffer to let them know contact info for their families to let them be in touch."

The bill also would assign each veteran a case care manager to assist with medical care, a service member advocate to assist with the patient's general welfare and quality of living, and an officer from the physical evaluation board to ensure consistency and fairness in determining disability ratings.

"When you're at war, it's the last time you want to skimp on programs for your servicemen and women," Schwartz said. "If something happens, they have to be able to trust that this system will be there for them when they get back."

By Renée Dudley, Special To The Day