We Should Be Ashamed.

Here's a story from the Washington Post:

Thousands of U.S. troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with physical injuries and mental health problems are encountering a benefits system that is already overburdened, and officials and veterans' groups are concerned that the challenge could grow as the nation remains at war.

The disability benefits and health care systems that provide services for about 5 million American veterans have been overloaded for decades and have a current backlog of more than 300,000 claims. And because they were mobilized to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, nearly 150,000 National Guard and reservist veterans had become eligible for health care and benefits as of Aug. 1. That number is rising.

At the same time, President Bush's budget for 2005 calls for cutting the Department of Veterans Affairs staff that handles benefits claims, and some veterans report long waits for benefits and confusing claims decisions.

"I love the military; that was my life. But I don't believe they're taking care of me now," said Staff Sgt. Gene Westbrook, 35, of Lawton, Okla. Paralyzed in a mortar attack near Baghdad in April, he has received no disability benefits because his paperwork is missing. He is supporting his wife and three children on his regular military pay of $2,800 a month as he awaits a ruling on whether he will receive $6,500 a month from the VA for his disability.

Through the end of April, the most recent accounting the VA could provide, a total of 166,334 veterans of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan had separated from military service, and 26,633 -- 16 percent -- had filed benefits claims with the VA for service-connected disabilities. Less than two-thirds of those claims had been processed, leaving more than 9,750 recent veterans waiting.

Officials expect those numbers to increase as the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan continues.

I mind excessive government spending as much as anyone, but I fail to see why we cannot pay for enough people to process disability claims quickly and efficiently. (With what money, you ask? For this I would happily give back my share of the tax cuts.) These are people who our government has asked to put their lives at risk in Iraq, and who have as a result been crippled. The least we can do is set up a system that ensures that they actually get their disability benefits promptly.

And why on earth, when the benefits system is already backlogged and under strain, when we are engaged in two wars, and when officials expect the number of disabled veterans to increase, does Bush's budget call for cuts in the staff that handles benefit claims?

As I said, we should be ashamed.

Comments

[Jesurgislac]

As I said, we should be ashamed.

Yes.

This isn't a new story, either: it's been clear for some time now that for Bush "supporting the troops" means words, not action.

And given the trouble that the military is looking at with recruitment for the next few years, cutting benefits to veterans is the last thing any responsible administration would be looking to do. But I agree, it's not just that pragmatically it's downright stupid, it's also just plain wrong.

[Jadegold]

On a related issue, Josh Marshall noted several years back the Bush Administration was trying to discourage vets from taking advantage of earned benefits.

[CharleyCarp]

Tax cuts have to be offset with at least something in the way of spending cuts. Can't cut missions to Mars or missile defense, as the constituencies for these are big contributors. Since vets aren't, and since it's been repeatedly shown that the communities (both geographic and cultural) from which vets arise are either in the bag or not, there aren't even enough votes to justify advancing a different policy.

One can whine about the Admin putting politics over policy, but it's getting old. I wonder if anyone out there can come up with an example where the Admin has made the opposite choice. I can't think of one.

If you want tax cuts and you want Bush/Rove, this is exactly what you are going to get.

[Palolo lolo]

Once more with feeling- THEY DON'T FUCKING CARE!!!!!!

[hilzoy]

Palolo: posting rules forbid swearing on the blog. This is not just because we're trying to keep things civil, but also to allow people to read this behind software that screens for obscenity, e.g. at work.

[Bernard Yomtov]

Weren't you watching the debate, hilzoy?

There's a "tax gap," you know. No one seems to know quite where it came from, least of all the President, but there it is.

Bush slogan: "Millions for millionaires, but not one cent for veterans."

[John Thullen]

"And why on earth, does Bush's budget call for cuts ...?

The larger policy, as we must all know by now, is to place the baby face down in the bathtub, leave the water running and turn the martial music up so we can't hear its death-throw gurgling.

According to Grover Norquist, the man with the plan, the baby is the Beast.

This is government-wide; every Department, every agency. Fund the programs, but cut so much out of operating budgets that the programs cannot be implemented.

Further, cutting funding and staff for the most visible parts of the government which interface with the public pisses the voters off. But the answer this time will be: "See, the government and bureaucrats are incompetent. Privatize or abolish."

The Republican Party (usual exceptions noted, I guess) is counting on the "hate government" propaganda of the past 30 years to place the blame on government, not them.

The same policy is in place in Republican State governments. So forget about devolution. This is death.

It's working.

I know the "Why on earth.." question is rhetorical, but its time kick it up to "This stops now!"

This stops now !

P.S. For a similar model, see the leveraged buyouts of the 1980's (ie grocery chains, industrial firms). Load the balance sheet with staggering debt; "discover" that jobs, wages, and health benefit cuts must be catastrophic or, geez, nobody gets any groceries and other good stuff. Whoops!

[John Thullen]

"We should be ashamed" should also be cut out the Democratic vocabulary.

I have nothing to be ashamed about. I didn't do this.

Certainly, neither did you, Hilzoy.

The Party of personal responsibility owns that shame.