Text 1705, 198 rader
Skriven 2005-11-10 23:32:44 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (051110f) for Thu, 2005 Nov 10
====================================================
===========================================================================
Fact Sheet: Honoring America's Veterans
===========================================================================

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 10, 2005

Fact Sheet: Honoring America's Veterans



Veterans Day 2005

  þ On Veterans Day, America Honors Our Nation's Men And Women In Uniform
    And Their Families Who Have Sacrificed For Our Nation. Members of the
    Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard have protected our
    country and liberated millions of people around the world from tyranny
    and terror.

  þ President Bush Is Dedicated To Supporting Our Nation's 25 Million
    Veterans, And His Administration Has A Record Of Accomplishment For
    Those Who Have Sacrificed For Our Liberty And Security. Since the
    President took office, the Administration has increased spending for
    veterans by $24 billion _ a total of 53 percent. In the President's
    first four years in office, spending for veterans increased twice as
    much as it did in the eight years of the previous Administration.

  þ The Administration Is Committed To Providing A Seamless Transition For
    Veterans As They Leave The Military. Agencies throughout the Federal
    government, including the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce,
    Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland
    Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, Labor,
    Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, offer programs and
    services for America's newest veterans and for the military families
    who stand behind our servicemen and women.

Improving Health Care for Veterans

  þ Health Care For Veterans Is A Top Priority. President Bush recognizes
    the importance of health care to veterans and has made it a priority to
    improve the current system. Since taking office, the President has
    increased the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical care budget
    by 51 percent, and these resources are being used to make real
    improvements for veterans. Over the past four years, the number of
    total outpatient visits and volume of prescriptions filled have
    increased, and disability claims are being processed faster.

  þ VA Facilities Are Being Modernized And Expanded. In the last two years,
    the Administration has committed more than $1.5 billion to modernizing
    and expanding VA facilities so that more veterans can get care closer
    to home. The Administration is committed to helping the veterans who
    fought and sacrificed for America get the quality care they deserve.

  þ Priority Scheduling Gives Precedence To Veterans With The Greatest
    Needs. Treating veterans with military disabilities, lower incomes, and
    special needs has always been VA's core health care mission. Under the
    President's leadership, the Administration has refocused resources and
    implemented a priority scheduling system to ensure that returning
    combat veterans and core-mission veterans are first in line.

  þ Expanded Access Allows For Long-Term Care In The Most Non-Intrusive
    Settings. The Administration's budgets continue to promote
    non-institutional long-term care that allows veterans to live and be
    cared for near or in the comfort and familiar settings of their homes
    surrounded by their families.

Serving America's Veterans and Caring for Families of Veterans

  þ President Bush Is The First President In Over 100 Years To Sign
    Concurrent Receipt Legislation. President Bush twice signed legislation
    effectively providing >concurrent receipt_ of both military retired pay
    and VA disability compensation for those regular military retirees most
    deserving _ combat-injured and highly disabled veterans _ reversing a
    century-old law preventing concurrent receipt.

  þ The President Kept His Promise To Award Disability Claims Faster. The
    President promised to reduce the disability claims backlog, and at his
    request, Congress has provided VA with the resources it needs to award
    claims faster. Since January 2002, the average length of time to
    process a veteran's disability compensation or pension claim has
    dropped from approximately 230 days to 167 days.

  þ The Administration Has Increased Traumatic Injury And Death Benefits.
    The President signed into law proposals increasing the death gratuity
    for deaths in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, or
    combat-related activities from $12,420 to $100,000; increasing the
    maximum life insurance benefit from $250,000 to $400,000; and providing
    a lump sum payment of up to $100,000 for serious traumatic injuries
    occurring in service.

  þ New And Expanded Benefits Provide For Families Of Veterans. VA makes
    pensions based on need available to surviving spouses and unmarried
    children of deceased veterans with wartime experience. President Bush
    signed the Veterans Benefits Act authorizing new and expanded benefits
    for disabled veterans, surviving spouses, and children.

  þ Faith-Based And Community Grants Help Homeless Veterans. President Bush
    expanded faith-based and community grants to all 50 States, Washington,
    D.C., and to Indian Tribal governments for the first time in history.
    Under his leadership, veterans have decreased by 10 percent as a
    percent of the adult homeless population, and the number of veterans
    homeless on any given night has decreased by 20 percent.

  þ Taking Steps To Honor American Veterans Laid To Rest. To comfort
    families and honor veterans with a hallowed, final resting place, the
    President signed the National Cemetery Expansion Act of 2003 into law,
    authorizing the future development of six new national cemeteries
    across the country. Between FY 2001 and FY 2005, VA provided more than
    1.7 million headstones and markers to honor American veterans laid to
    rest in national and state veteran cemeteries and private cemeteries
    around the world. By 2010, 90 percent of America's veterans will have
    access to a burial option within 75 miles of their residence, either at
    a National Cemetery or State Veterans Cemetery that was constructed or
    expanded through Federal grants.

  þ The President Is Committed To Safeguarding America's Symbols Of
    Freedom. The American flag is a special mark of pride and dignity to
    America's veterans _ and the President believes it deserves to be
    protected in the Constitution. In June, the House of Representatives
    voted for a constitutional amendment to ban flag desecration, and the
    President has urged the Senate to pass this important amendment this
    year.

Helping America's Newest Veterans Transition To Civilian Life

  þ New Partnerships And Innovative Programs Facilitate Benefits Delivery
    Upon Discharge From Military Service. Under the President's leadership,
    agencies and departments throughout the Federal government are joining
    forces to provide programs and services for America's newest veterans
    and military families, including:

      þ VA, The Department Of Defense (DoD), And The Department Of Labor
        (DOL) Have Developed A Partnership To Facilitate The Delivery Of
        Services To Veterans And Military Beneficiaries. VA experts are
        reaching out to service members at 140 military bases to provide
        America's newest veterans with the benefits they have earned and to
        bring about a seamless transition for new veterans from military to
        civilian status.

      þ VA And DoD Work Together To Meet The Needs Of The Men And Women Who
        Served In Operation Iraqi Freedom And Operation Enduring Freedom
        (OIF/OEF). Together, VA and DoD are finding ways to move records
        more efficiently between the two agencies; share critical medical
        information electronically; process benefits claims quickly and
        efficiently; and, in every way possible, support their transition
        from active duty to civilian life. A VA website provides
        information about a wide range of benefits for returning veterans
        at www.seamlesstransition.va.gov.

      þ The Department Of Housing And Urban Development's (HUD) HUDVET
        Resource Center Is Specifically Designed To Help Veterans, Current
        Military Members, And Their Families Make Full Use Of HUD's
        Programs And Services. In cooperation with leading veteran's
        groups, HUDVET produces a Resource Directory and maintains a
        comprehensive web site. Both the Directory and the website provide
        an easy-to-use breakout _ on a state-by-state basis _ of the
        organizations and services available to veterans.

      þ DOL And The Department Of Justice (DOJ) And The Office Of Special
        Counsel Actively Protect The Employment Rights Of Veterans. DOL
        helps veterans and employers understand their rights and
        responsibilities under the Uniformed Services Employment _ Federal
        sector USERRA claims.

      þ DOL Helps Employers Find Qualified Veterans As They Leave The
        Military And Helps Veterans Make The Best Use Of A National Network
        Of Employment Resources. Through a national >Hire Vets First_
        campaign, the Department is raising awareness among employers of
        the relevance and value of military training and experience to
        civilian occupations. DOL provides more than $7 billion in job
        training and employment services, which are delivered through a
        nationwide network of One-Stop Career Centers and administered in
        partnership with states and local communities, and assures that
        every veteran, surviving spouse, or the spouses of captured or
        missing service members, have priority for these services.

      þ New Initiative To Increase The Number Of Contracts The Department
        of Agriculture (USDA) Awards To Disabled Veterans Who Own Small
        Businesses. USDA developed a Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small
        Business Strategy to provide the formal direction and aggressive
        activities necessary to afford its contracting opportunities to
        veteran small business owners throughout the country.

DoD And The Department Of Education Have Partnered On The Highly Successful
Troops-To-Teachers Program. Under this program, the Secretary of Education
supports DoD in providing assistance, including stipends of up to $5,000,
to eligible members of the Armed Forces so that they can obtain
certification or licensing to become highly qualified elementary,
secondary, or vocational/technical teachers. In addition, the program helps
these new teachers find employment.

# # #
===========================================================================
Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/11/20051110-15.html

 * Origin: (1:3634/12)