The first week of April brought another exciting week of publicity and progress for our veterans – from the U.S. Congress in Washington to the Texas legislature in Austin.  

VCS continues leading the way by presenting facts and promoting practical solutions to resolve VA’s bungled response to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

When meeting with U.S. Senate leaders on March 28, I frequently suggested that Congress keep pushing legislation to fix VA and keep meeting with veterans to publicize horror stories about veterans who fell through the cracks because VA failed to prepare for the hundreds of thousands of combat casualties from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

U.S. Senators responded strongly and quickly, reaching out to veterans in their home states when they returned home during the Spring / Easter recess.

Here are four recent news articles clearly showing the Walter Reed and VA scandals continue to deeply concern Americans:

   • Senator Richard Durbin held a town hall meeting in Illinois with combat veterans with PTSD: http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/articleid/7348

   • Senator Patty Murray met with veterans in Washington, sparking a harsh newspaper editorial about VA’s failures: http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/articleid/7349

   • Senator Barack Obama, the presidential candidate from Illinois, called for zero tolerance for any more homeless veterans while campaigning in Iowa: http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/articleid/7350

   • Senator Jay Rockefeller visited a VA medical center in West Virginia and said veterans are ignored: http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/articleid/7351

And U.S. Representatives are getting the message to care for our veterans:

   • Representative Heather Wilson joined in, raising concerns in New Mexico: http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/articleid/7352

   • Representative Harry Mitchell helps veterans in Arizona while leading the charge to investigate problems at VA: http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/articleid/7324

All of that was on the Federal level.  At the state level, Texas is taking the lead to help Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom veterans.

On April 3, Veterans for Common Sense testified before the Texas Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs and Military Installations about the pressing need for more action on the issue of depleted uranium radioactive toxic waste exposures.  The hearing was chaired by State Senator Leticia Van de Putte (D – San Antonio), and attended by several senators, including Eliot Shapleigh (D – El Paso).  Representative Rick Noriega (D – Houston) introduced the DU testing bill, HB 363.

VCS spoke in favor of DU awareness training, exposure screening, and medical testing using the best available current technology used in the United Kingdom.  VCS also provided the Committee staff with peer-reviewed published scientific research that highlights the serious medical problems caused by DU and the best exposure testing methods.  In lightening speed, the committee voted unanimously to approve the DU legislation, with no comment, either for or against the bill, from the Texas Army National Guard officers present in the room. 

VCS also voiced support for legislation to expand mental healthcare services for Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans from the TANG.  In a surprise move, the TANG Adjutant General, Lieutenant General Charles G. Rodriguez, supported the PTSD bill, SB 1058, sponsored by Senator Royce West (D – Dallas).  The Senate Committee then unanimously passed the PTSD bill.

Given the Pentagon’s inaccurate rhetoric that DU is harmless, and given VA’s stubborn fight against PTSD benefits for war veterans, the testimony by the TANG and fast action by the Committee was a pleasant surprise.   They get it in Texas.

If you live in Texas, you can make a difference today by calling your State Representative and State Senator and asking them to immediately pass HB 363 and SB 1058 and be signed into law by Governor Rick Perry.  They are the right thing to do now for our veterans, and they send the message that our elected legislators are listening.

As the Department of Veterans Affairs continues to stumble at the Federal level, states are stepping up to the plate so our veterans don’t fall through the cracks. 

If you know of states with good ideas to assist veterans that can be shared with other states, please drop me a note at Paul@VeteransForCommonSense.org