SCHIP: An Urgent Vote to Protect Wounded Veterans Fails
Two weeks before Veterans Day, and eight long months after news of neglect at Walter Reed hit the headlines, the Bush administration finally responded publicly to the flurry of reports ordered when the scandal broke.
Earlier this week, President Bush met with the co-chairs of his Wounded Warriors Commission, former Senator Bob Dole and former Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala, to discuss executive implementation of their recommendations, and to announce recommendations for legislative action that he will be sending to Congress. Among the recommendations are a streamlined disability process, support for families, and treatment for troops' mental health problems.
It's about time. For over two months, the recommendations of the Dole-Shalala Commission seemed to be gathering dust. In the veterans' community, there has been real concern that this Commission Report would join countless others that were received with great fanfare, and then promptly forgotten. On Tuesday, veterans like me were encouraged to see that the president has not forgotten the promises he made at the start of the Walter Reed debacle.
While the intentions of the Commission's recommendations should be applauded, there are outstanding problems that will undoubtedly impede their accomplishment. With the Secretary of Veterans Affairs' post filled by a temporary appointment, and a VA budget that is more than two weeks late, implementation will be a challenge.
One of the Dole-Shalala Commission's major recommendations is already doomed. The Commission suggested that coverage be provided for family members of wounded troops under the Family Medical Leave Act. Earlier this month, this protection was denied not due to bureaucratic hurdles or funding shortfalls, but because of the President's decision to veto SCHIP, the State Children's Health Insurance Program reauthorization.
Today, Congress had an opportunity to override the President's SCHIP veto--and should have voted to do so. Two largely overlooked provisions of SCHIP would address the urgent issue of protecting military families as outlined by the Dole-Shalala Commission. Sections 621 and 622, under Subtitle C, provide one year of employment discrimination protection to family members caring for grievously wounded troops, and extend permitted work leave for these caretakers from three to six months.
Right now, when a service member is critically wounded, friends and family members put their lives on hold to be at their loved ones' bedside during the weeks and months of recuperation. Annette McLeod is one such family member. When her husband, Specialist Wendell McLeod, was injured while serving in Iraq, she rushed from her Chesterfield, South Carolina home to be with him at Walter Reed in Washington, D.C. Caring for her husband, who sustained multiple injuries to the back and head, became her full time job. After three months at Walter Reed, the human resources department at the factory where she had worked for 20 years told her she had exhausted her time off. She was forced to give up her job and all of her benefits.
Annette's story is all too common. Thanks to improved battlefield medicine, thousands of troops are surviving catastrophic injuries, but they face long and painful recoveries at home. This puts enormous financial and emotional strain on their loved ones. According to the Dole-Shalala Commission, one in five severely wounded troops says a family member or friend has had to give up a job to provide care. Unfortunately, current law offers caregivers few employment protections. All too often, they lose their jobs, pushing their families to the brink of financial ruin.
Today, Congress had the opportunity to defend the family caregivers of wounded heroes by overriding the President's SCHIP veto. Unfortunately, the legislation that would have given these families much-needed breathing room failed. So now, instead of focusing on recuperating, many of our injured service members will have to worry about where their family's next paycheck will come from.
Any member of Congress who claims to support the troops should have voted to override the President's SCHIP veto today. When this vote failed, so did a critical protection for families of our most grievously wounded troops. And now, more family members like Annette will face unfair and unnecessary financial burdens during what is already a more difficult time than most of us can imagine. Our wounded heroes and their families deserve better.
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With regards to the controversy about the 12-year-old Graeme Frost, the Democrats are missing a great opportunity.
They should put together a series of ads made of bright middle school kids who do their own research on S-Chip, on Iraq, on the environment, etc., and feature them in ads.
Imagine the effect of a fourteen year old saying this in a national TV ad.
“This is for Mr. Limbaugh, who seems to think the kids of my age cannot think for themselves.
I have researched the matter of health care in the US, and have reached my own conclusions. We need universal health care, and we do not need to be told by someone as uninformed as Rush Limbaugh how we should think. Perhaps Mr. Limbaugh should go back to school and do some objective research so he can speak more intelligently about health care, and about kids of my age. Mr. Limbaugh might learn to stop preaching hate on his program.”
I went into a public 'ouse to get a pint of beer, the republican, 'e up and sez, we serve no soldiers here, the girls behind the bar, coulter & malkin laughed an giggle fit to die, I outs into the street again an to myself sez I,
O its soldier this & that, & solder off to 'ganistan & Iraq, But it's thank you Mr. soldier, sailor & marine when the band begins to play, The band begins to play me boys, the band begins to play. O its thank you Mr. soldier, sailor & marine when the band begins to play. With an apology to Rudyard Kipling (Tommy)
Very good point. The Repubs are all about gaining money and power for themselves, NOT supporting the troops and their families.
It's all about THEM and their wealthy friends, not about the WORKING PEOPLE. They are scammers, criminals and conpeople stealing everything they can lay their hands on from the working people. There is no compassion, justice or even common decency in their hearts or minds. Only cruelty, meanness, selfishness and ruthlessness.
splashy; You seem to have forgotten that it takes a two thirds majority to over ride a veto. This means all Democrats and part of the Republicans . Lot at the record of the vote and you will see that a lot of Democrats did not vote to over ride the veto. Of course if you are to partisan to do this keep smoking you opium pipe.
Thanks for all the great comments. Not sure why nobody else picked up on this...may
I'm disgusted that the President and some Republicans "pretend" to honor the troops. By President Bush's veto he which included the Dole-Shalala Commission recommendations that coverage be provided for family members of wounded troops under the Family Medical Leave Act has been denied. He probably thinks they make enough money to cover their own insurance. Let's see--doesn't the government employees have socialized insurance paid for by the taxpayer. Why do we pay for millionaires health insurance. They're not really employees because all those elected and appointed can not be fired. I bet they won't introduce any legislation that will jepordize their health coverage even though there's probably not one of them that makes less than $100K per year. Cheney alone is worth billions yet we are forced to pay for his health insurance.
Once you're wounded they have no further use for you so out ya go.
Let us also not forget those who in the words of Abraham Lincoln have borne the battle, he who has given the last full measure of devotion, his widow, and his orphan. Today of course that applies to she who has done these same things.
If all of the pork bills tossed into the money frenzy of the war bills and the necessary passable bills were added up we might not have to have cigerettes to pay for the kids being sick and with no insurance. If we had a congress who would stop the war funding to cover the kids and the falling apart roads and bridges we might be in a different place. But if we let those who voted againest our sick kids get away with it then those countries of the world who have just lowered their opinion lower than anyone ever thought possible are correct. We talk about our country being so great but when it comes to action...w
You wrote, "... when a service member is critically wounded, friends and family members put their lives on hold to be at their loved ones' bedside during the weeks and months of recuperation. Annette McLeod is one such family member. .... After three months ...the human resources department at the factory where she had worked for 20 years told her she had exhausted her time off. She was forced to give up her job and all of her benefits." So, in addition to a crassly insensitive and, frankly, immoral Congress (no sexual pun intended), her employer appears to be highly negligent as well. Why don't we talk about "corporate responsibility" as well?! If free-market capitalism is so damn great, and so not-in-nee
Not good for bidness as Molly used to say.
When wiil our citizens come to grips and realize this administration doesn't give a rat's tail about our wounded veterans. If many of our citizens did not get the message when Max Cleland was defeated in his bid for reelection to the Senate by a man who was deferred claiming a high school football injury then they will never get it. I believe what is causing much of the indiffernce to the plight of our wounded vets has to do with the present "All volunteer" force which is essentially comprised of the nation's economic under-class. Because of this, and the absence of a military draft, our heroes are considered to be expendable. We are living in less than a brave new world since 9-11- draft dodgers starting a war, even deploying girls to do the fighting, the disgrace seen at Walter Reed; and most troubling of all is the Neocon agenda is not yet completed until they get President Bush to attack Iran thus setting off a perpetual war which people such as Rev. Hargee gleefully await "the Final Days." Steve, USN, WW2
Here is a thought. Put vet issues in a seperate bill. They shouldn't have been combined with unrelated issues (SCHIP) in order to try and score political points when SCHIP 1) was vetoed and 2) when the override failed.
That is exactly right Rumplestiltskin. The hypocrisy and blind arrogance is so effing unbelievable. Once again, proof that they don't actually care about the military, all they want is to score some points. Well....po
who's "they"?
What is wrong with this country when we can't even elect officials who will fight for us? When those we send to represent us are more concerned with lining their own pockets and building their own fortunes and resumes??? We have become one of the most corrupt nations in the world. We have lost all chance of standing tall and saying we are better than anyone. We owe other countries billions of dollars, and countries in the middle east own half the land in this country. How is it possible that our once great nation has lost it's way? The Christian right have led us down a path of total destruction and despair, with BushCo in the lead. We are doomed!
Not while I can still hold a pencil (we use paper ballots here) in a voting booth.
Crippled as I may be I can still hold a rifle, shotgun and or a pistol as well.
I prefer peace but will use "Teddy's" big stick.
P.S. Or a Molotov cocktail.
The reasoniong for the veto was because families making $50,000.00 or a little more would qualify or might switch from their present insurance.
Uh-huh. And I make the assumption you are a fellow Minnesotan because you mention the NorthStar state.
Don't you just love Kline and Bachman?
You are correct in your salient points and I applaud you for pointing them out.
Have you ever thought of joining the IP.
Again I'm assuming that you are not already a member.
In MN however the DFL could run Osama Bin Laden on a ticket and the dutiful DFL sheep would vote for him. Again however, I have no use for Pawlenty and his crowd either.
Come caucus time support Gov. Bill Richardson. He's the best the Dem's have and he can win the WH.
Why is it that folks are still surprised by the lies and deceptions that comeout of this administration and the republican party. We pay mercenaries, we give no bid contracts, we borrow all of the money to pay for a war that Dick Cheney said would be paid by oil revenues after we were welcomed by parades in the street of Baghdad we give huge bonuses to entice that poor kid off the street because the wealthy one and the politicians kids have better things to do. And you honestly expect this scumbag to keep his promises to our combat wounded? How many totally disabled Veterans will be able to buy a house on his or her 2500 per month compensation check?
I'm a soldier (Army Reserve).
When we send our soldiers to war, we need to take care of those that are wounded and suffer long term effects.
That said, I don't think SCHIP is the proper way to fund it. Funding for care should be through the VA. Funding to help the wounded soldier survive his disability should come from the his military disability (or caregivers should be funded through the VA).
Of course, we could greatly reduce this problem by not sending our soldiers to fight pointless wars like Iraq!
Sadly the VA cannot provide the care that these soldiers need now. Even if the VA had the money it would take years to fix the VA system.As someone who has been in the VA system for 17 years, I can tell you over the last 6 years the VA has gone from fair to terrible. Most of the hospital administrators have been replaced by HMO cronies who are only worried about getting their bonus's by saving money through what ever means possible to make them look good. Look at the staff cuts in the last 6 years of medical personnel, especially in the mental health department. Look at the retirement rate of VA medical personnel in the last few years that have not been replaced. The VA has become as it was during the Vietnam war under staffed and overwhelmed. It seems no one learned their lessons from that war. This funding through SCIP was supposed to be a direct infusion of help to these veterans without the VA bungling I have been preaching about the VA mismanagement for years because I learned the lesson of Vietnam.
Although my wife's disabilities are not 'Service' related, I have been a full time caregiver for her for more than 20 years.
This nation pays almost no attention to caregivers who aid disabled loved ones at home. It is an added disgrace that family members who care for wounded veterans are being denied the help they need.
Billions for contractors, and a blind eye toward the real heroes.
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