Bush Tries to Keep Half Million Vets In the Dark

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> Wed, 7 Jul 2004 14:57:33 -0400 (EDT)

> The Daily Mislead <latest

 

> Bush Tries to Keep Half Million Vets In the

> Dark

>

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> THE DAILY MIS-LEAD

> <

> http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2973095 & l=44008

> >

> ===============================

>

> BUSH TRIES TO KEEP HALF MILLION VETS IN THE DARK

>

> President Bush celebrated the July 4th holiday by

> praising veterans, saying

> " we're proud of your service, we're grateful for the

> example you have set

> for America. " [1] But a new report shows that more

> than half a million

> veterans are going without health care benefits owed

> to them - and the Bush

> administration has tried to keep those veterans in

> the dark.

>

> According to Knight-Ridder newspapers, 572,000

> veterans nationwide " are

> missing out on disability payments from the Veterans

> Administration " [2] even

> though they are owed those payments from their

> service. A large portion of

> these veterans are not receiving their payments

> because they do not know

> about them - a situation the White House has tried

> to perpetuate. In 2002,

> VA officials were ordered by the Bush administration

> " to cease efforts to

> enroll new patients into its health care system. "

> The directive said it was

> " inappropriate " for local VA workers to attend

> health fairs, open houses and

> community meetings to educate veterans about what

> their eligibility and to

> enroll them in health care programs.[3]

>

> The President's efforts to prevent veterans from

> getting the benefits they

> are owed came at the same time the White House was

> squeezing veterans

> programs overall. Specifically, the President has

> drastically underfunded

> veterans health care programs, leading to major

> veterans groups calling his

> policies a " disgrace " and noting his most recent

> budget falls $2.6 billion

> short of what is needed this year alone.[4] The

> President also raised

> premiums that veterans pay for their prescription

> drugs.[5]

>

> Sources:

>

> 1. Presidential Remarks, WhiteHouse.gov, 7/04/04,

>

http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2973095 & l=44009.

> 2. " Thousands of disabled vets lack disability

> payments due to poor agency

> outreach, stigma, " Knight-Ridder, 7/01/2004,

>

http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2973095 & l=44010.

> 3. " VA says `no' to new patients - Service, " VFW

> Magazine, 9/02,

>

http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2973095 & l=44011.

> 4. " VFW Terms President's VA Budget Proposal Harmful

> to Veterans VFW Appeals

> to Congress for Relief, " VFW.org, 2/02/2004,

>

http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2973095 & l=44012.

> 5. " Bush calls for electronic medical records, "

> CNN.com, 4/28/2004,

>

http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2973095 & l=44013.

>

>

> Visit www.misleader.org for more about Bush

> Administration distortion. »

>

>

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