Gillibrand bill aims to help get vets benefits
Saying that veterans need improved access to benefits Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand announced she has introduced legislation she says would reverse a troubling situation affecting hundreds of thousands of veterans statewide.
New York is home to about 1 million veterans, and more than 720,000 are not receiving health care through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said in a conference call. The legislation introduced in the Senate would require the VA and the U.S. Department of Defense to share information more effectively, plan ahead in transitioning troops to veteran status with the benefit programs they qualify for, and automatically enroll all exiting service members into VA care.
It’s a step in the right direction, said Army veteran Al Merklinger.
A volunteer at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center and past commander of the Canandaigua chapter of Disabled American Veterans, Merklinger said he has experienced the frustration of obtaining veterans benefits and navigating the system in receiving care and medications for ailments related to his service some 50 years ago.
“They’ve got a backlog with all these veterans coming back,” he said, adding that the VA needs to improve methods of handling the growing number of veterans who have a wide variety of needs.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, more than 30,000 American service members have been wounded serving their country in Iraq and Afghanistan,Gillibrand said.
“These wounded veterans are entitled to and deserve our full assistance as they recover,” she said. “While the VA offers a range of care services for these returning troops, navigating the complex benefits system while making the difficult transition from troop to civilian life keeps many new veterans from receiving the care and benefits that they have earned and qualify for.”
