At a time when over 2.5 million American men and women have been added to the rolls of combat veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, the Veteran’s Affairs Committees of both the U.S. House and Senate have agreed to cap budget increases for the Department of Veterans Affairs. There is bipartisan agreement that despite America's having more returning veterans than it has had since the end of WWII, the recent end of the Iraq War, and an imminent drawdown in Afghanistan, the VA will have to meet this increase in need with a flat budget. Congress cannot agree on anything, but they agree that our newest veterans should sacrifice more for the country at a time when they need support the most.Last week, I was informed by the VA that a record number of veterans have applied for GI Bill benefits, so many that it would take six weeks to process requests. This should surprise no one as multi-tour veterans such as myself leave the military after a decade at war and seek to enter the civilian world with a job market, never friendly to veterans, which has turned even more bearish since the 2008 downturn. read more>>>
No comments:
Post a Comment