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Screw Over The Military!!

February 27, 2009 The Honorable Barack Obama President of the United States The White House Washington, DC Dear President Obama: On behalf of the millions of veterans represented by the veterans and military service organizations that have joined our effort, we write to express our serious concerns about a policy proposal that has been discussed this week in conjunction with the release of your first budget. We have been told that your Administration may be considering a proposal that would allow the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system to bill a veteran’s insurance for the care and treatment of a disability or injury that was determined to have been incurred in or the result of the veteran’s honorable military service to our country. Such a consideration is wholly unacceptable and a total abrogation of our government’s moral and legal responsibility to the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our freedoms. As you know, the mission of the VA is “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan.” Similarly, the VA emphasizes that it will “provide veterans the world-class benefits and services they have earned—and to do so by adhering to the highest standards of compassion, commitment, excellence, professionalism, integrity, accountability, and stewardship.” Unfortunately, the proposal to bill veterans for the care of their service-connected disabilities ignores the most important aspect of this vision—that their care has been earned. This proposal ignores the solemn obligation that this country has to care for those men and women who have served this country with distinction and are left with the wounds and scars of that service. The blood spilled in service for this nation is the premium that service-connected veterans have paid for their earned care. We understand and accept that the VA bills third-party insurers of veterans who are treated for non-service connected conditions. However, we cannot and would not agree to any proposal that would expand this concept any further. There is simply no logical explanation for billing a veteran’s personal insurance for care that the VA has a responsibility to provide. While we understand the fiscal difficulties this country faces right now, placing the burden of those fiscal problems on the men and women who have already sacrificed a great deal for this country is unconscionable. If in fact your Administration is considering this proposal, we would like to meet with The American Legion 1608 K Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20006 (202) 861-2700 www.legion.org AMVETS (American Veterans) 4647 Forbes Blvd. Lanham, MD 20706 (301) 459-9600 www.amvets.org Blinded Veterans Association 477 H Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001 (202) 371-8880 www.bva.org Disabled American Veterans 807 Maine Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20024 (202) 554-3501 www.dav.org Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America 308 Massachusetts Ave NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 544-7692 www.iava.org Jewish War Veterans of the USA 1811 R Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20009 (202) 265-6280 www.jwv.org Military Officers Association of America 201 N. Washington Street Alexandria, VA 22314 (703) 549-2311 www.moaa.org Military Order of the Purple Heart of the U.S.A., Inc. 5413-B Backlick Road Springfield, VA 22151 (703) 642-5360 www.purpleheart.org Paralyzed Veterans of America 801 18th Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20006 (202) 872-1300 www.pva.org Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States 200 Maryland Avenue, N.E. Washington, DC 20002 (202) 543-2239 www.vfw.org Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. 8605 Cameron Street, Suite 400 Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301) 585-4000 www.vva.org President Barack Obama February 27, 2009 Page 2 you, as well as VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Peter Orzag, to discuss this further. We strongly urge your Administration to drop consideration of any proposal to bill third-party insurers for veterans’ service-connected conditions. We appreciate your continued emphasis on caring for the men and women who have served in defense of this country, as evidenced by the significant increase provided for VA programs in your FY 2010 budget submission. You can reaffirm this commitment by not allowing such a proposal to be carried forward. We stand ready to work with you, Secretary Shinseki, OMB Director Orzag, and others in your Administration to ensure that appropriate care and benefits are provided to those who have earned and deserve it. Sincerely, David K. Rehbein John C. Hapner National Commander National Commander The American Legion AMVETS Thomas Miller Raymond E. Dempsey Executive Director National Commander Blinded Veterans Association Disabled American Veterans Paul Reickhoff Ira Novoselsky Executive Director National Commander Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Jewish War Veterans of the USA VADM Norb Ryan, USN (Ret.) John P. Leonard President National Adjutant Military Officers Association of America Military Order of the Purple Heart of the USA, Inc. Randy L. Pleva, Sr. Glen M. Gardner, Jr. National President Commander-in-Chief Paralyzed Veterans of America Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States John Rowan National President Vietnam Veterans of America Cc: Eric Shinseki, Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs Peter Orzag, Director, Office of Management and Budget Honorable Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader Honorable Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House Honorable Steny Hoyer, House Majority Leader Honorable John Boehner, House Minority Leader Honorable Daniel Akaka, Chairman, Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Honorable Richard Burr, Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Honorable Bob Filner, Chairman, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Honorable Steve Buyer, Ranking Member, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (repost of original by 'Sgt.Redneck_USMC_RR/Please Rate one folder to be ADD!!!!' on '2009-03-18 19:32:08') (repost of original by 'Unkle Jed,Fu&R/LHusband2Rebelgrl71&Head Enforcer@American Soldiers Retreat' on '2009-03-18 21:36:38') (repost of original by 'DJ Gummi-"R/L hubby to momo"- DJ&Bartender@American Soldiers Retreat' on '2009-03-19 07:27:27') (repost of original by 'Proud Military Mom' on '2009-03-19 08:00:58')
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