Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: Man with a tough job

Thursday, Dec. 5, 2002 | 8:52 a.m.

HAVE YOU EVER WATCHED somebody performing a very difficult or unpleasant job and think you are fortunate not to have it? That's exactly what was going through my mind when visiting with U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony Principi. I can't imagine a more difficult and demanding task in government than trying to meet the needs of millions of deserving people without the funds to do the job right. This is especially difficult for a combat veteran like Principi who wants to help those who have earned it.

Not only is he working with a very tight budget, his clients also are aging and their illnesses are becoming more severe. He recognizes the need of a full-service hospital for the growing number of veterans here in Clark County. He also knows he must wait for the completion of a study that will tell Congress just where most of the dwindling number of dollars should be spent.

Added to this is the collapse of the building holding the combined VA services for local veterans. The building, leased by the government, has become unsafe for further use. Now several needed services will be spread over a larger area. No more one-stop service place in our area.

During the years immediately following World War II and Korea more inconveniences could be tolerated. We were still young and traveling by bus to Los Angeles or Reno was inconvenient but tolerable. Forty and 50 years later the same travel becomes painful and in some cases deadly for injured old-timers.

In addition to these problems, millions of veterans leaving the military service in 1945-1946 and 1954 were reluctant to tell superiors of physical problems. They only wanted out and hanging around for physical exams, accompanied by long days in military barracks, wasn't to their liking. In later years, those minor afflictions have become painful experiences that demand special medical care. Yes, more demands for care, with not enough funds to meet the demands, have fallen on the shoulders of recent VA appointees, and Principi is the carrier of the load today.

Congresswoman Shelley Berkley has brought the needs of our area veterans to Principi's attention. Even more accurately, she has brought him to see the situation and talk with the veterans. He left them with high hopes of our government improving services recently lost and additional services needed badly. When he was appointed secretary, ABC News reported:

" 'Principi has good relationships with the veterans organizations', said Butch Miller, a former national commander of the American Legion, the nation's largest veterans' group.

" 'His reputation as a public servant in the VA community is impeccable.' Miller said. 'He's not known to be a fantastic tap dancer. He will sit down across the table from you and say, things are not working right, let's fix it, and go from there.' "

The most recent DAV Magazine, November/December 2002, carried a column by that organization's National Adj. Arthur H. Wilson. Wilson wrote:

"A new policy announced by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi giving veterans with service-connected disabilities priority for VA medical services is welcome news for many, but our government still has a long way to go in resolving the crisis in veterans health care.

"Solving this problem requires a fundamental change in the way government funding is provided for the VA medical care system. Federal legislation has been introduced in both houses of Congress to shift veterans medical care from a discretionary to a mandatory funding program.

"Making veterans health care funding mandatory would eliminate the year-to-year uncertainty about funding levels that has prevented the VA from being able to adequately plan for and meet the constantly growing needs of veterans seeking treatment."

Like all local veterans, I hope that the VA gets the funds needed to bring services back to a central location and start construction on a full-service hospital.