Veterans' Health Care Improvements Should Focus On New Generation Of Service Members, According To Opinion Piece

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 17 Oct 2007 - 11:00 PDT

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"It is time to decide -- do we reform the current military and veterans' disability evaluation and compensation systems or limp along, placing Band-Aids over existing flaws?" former Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.) and University of Miami President and former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala write in a Washington Post opinion piece. Dole and Shalala serve as co-chairs of a presidential commission charged with identifying ways to improve care and services for veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

They note that it has been "more than 2 1/2 months since our commission presented its six pragmatic recommendations to improve the system of care for our injured service members and their families," and while "progress has been made, more work remains. And the clock is ticking." Dole and Shalala say that despite the "strong bipartisan support being given to the proposals," it is "clear that our recommendations are being swept up in a decades-long battle to reform the entire disability system for all service members." They continue, "While we hope that our recommendations will help many others, our mission was to make the system work better for this new generation of veterans."

Dole and Shalala write, "Yes, our elected officials should continuously examine how to enhance care for all those who have been put in harm's way," adding, "But right now, they have actionable recommendations that can make a real difference for those who have served our country in Iraq and Afghanistan." They conclude, "With Veterans Day only a few weeks away, we can think of no better tribute than to give our new veterans a system that truly meets their needs" (Dole/Shalala, Washington Post, 10/16).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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