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StumblePublished Wednesday, June 4, 2008 | 7:16 p.m.
Updated Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008 | 10:15 a.m.
WASHINGTON - A sweeping veterans’ health care bill, named in part for a Las Vegas High grad who served in Iraq and died in VA care, has passed the Senate.
The Veterans' Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act of 2008 would beef up care for vets, including those returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and other health issues.
Like another vets’ bill that recently passed the House, the Senate legislation has a provision named after Justin Bailey, a Marine diagnosed with PTSD who overdosed on a self-administered supply of drugs given to him at a Veterans Affairs facility in Los Angeles where he sought help.
Sen. Daniel Akaka of Alaska, the chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, called the bill “a tribute to Justin Bailey, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom… This was a tragedy that will live on with Justin's parents, who have so courageously advocated for improvements to VA mental health care.”
Nevada Republican Sen. John Ensign, who signed onto the bill as a co-sponsor, issued a statement saying he was “grateful for the work done by Justin’s parents, Tony and Mary Kaye, on behalf of this bill.”
Ensign said, “The story of Justin Bailey has stayed with me since I first heard of his death. As a Marine, he served both his family and his country proudly. However, our country, in many ways, failed to protect Justin and other veterans upon their return home from active duty.”
Both bills must still be approved by the other chamber before being sent to the president.
Sen. Akaka is NOT from Alaska. He is from Hawaii.
Ensign said "...our country, in many ways, failed to protect Justin and other veterans upon their return home from active duty."
"Our country?" Don't you mean posing patriots like Bush, Gibbons, Porter, Heller and YOU Ensign - you're the guys who have failed our veterans from Nevada, you're the guilty ones that sent these brave young men into an immoral, unnecessary, illegal and unjust war in Iraq and have cut funding, time and time again, to the VA!
So, now Ensign is trying to make up for his lack of courage and incompetence by "co-sponsoring" the bill? Give me a break! Ensign's typical Republican arrogance is astounding!
Shelley Berkley (D-CD #1) is the one who took the lead and advanced this bill - you would have done better to have cited a quote from her or Senator Reid.
Politicians are acting like they are doing veterans a favor by passing laws that should have been in place long before the decesion to go into any war let alone a senseless one such as the one we are now fighting. Bush and many others have taken this war and opportunity as a time to line their pockets at the cost of American lives and masked it in the smoke and mirrors of politics. Troops have to fight our government and the VA heath-care system equally as hard as the war we are currently in just to receive benefits that have been earned at the personal cost of the individual.
The VA hides behind buracracy of health-care being divided into two seperate areas of interest, benefits and compensation. The two sides do not communicate with the interest of the veterans, the system works backwards in an effort to get veterans to give up on benefits so the VA doesn't have to pay out benefits.
Our government can fund nearly a half a billion dollars to do research on Mars but the same government and its employees tell the public there is not enough money to do research on post-tramatic stress syndrome for our troops?
America is listening to the news and our politicians argue about free health-care for all Americans but we as veterans can't even get heath-care we have "earned" by serving this this ungrateful government!
R.G. Jennings II