Dan Kulin

Fri, Feb 20, 2004 (9:44 a.m.)

Sen. Harry Reid on Thursday delivered some well-received news on two fronts important to Las Vegas Valley veterans -- a new veterans hospital and expanding benefits for retired, disabled veterans.

Reid, a Democrat, told a crowd of about 70 veterans during a public forum at the Clark County Government Center that the Veterans Affairs Department is looking at three sites as possible locations for a new veterans hospital. The senator said he didn't know where the sites are, but said he expects a new veterans hospital could be open in three years.

"We're going to get a new veterans hospital here in Las Vegas," Reid said, adding that VA Secretary Anthony Principi has promised he will bring a new hospital to the area.

"He is on our side," Reid said of Principi.

Already, $20 million is available to plan for a new hospital, Reid said. Also, Reid and fellow Nevada Sen. John Ensign, a Republican, recently introduced a bill that would provide up to $250 million for a new hospital.

Reid also told the veterans Thursday he will continue to work for full disability and retirement benefits for veterans.

Last year Congress approved a $22 billion phase-in of the so-called concurrent receipt program that allows retired veterans with a 50 percent disability rating to receive both retirement pay and part of their disability checks. Prior to the change most veterans had to forfeit a dollar of retirement pay for every dollar of disability pay they received.

Reid said he will continue to work for bringing full benefits to all disabled and retired veterans and plans to submit a bill in the next few weeks that would do so.

"You shouldn't be able to take benefits away from somebody who's already earned them," Reid said.

The senator was well received by the group of veterans, who gave Reid a standing ovation when he began and ended the forum.

"He's a veteran's friend," Mitchell Kuhn, a World War II veteran, said. Kuhn, a financial officer for the local chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, said that while the concurrent receipt bill and VA hospital are good news, the movement on both issues isn't a surprise.

World War II veteran George Dennis, state commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, also said Reid's comments were good news for veterans.

"I'm very elated we're going to get that VA hospital here," he said. "It might take some time but it's off and running."