America's Vets: Federal Money Needs To Follow Federal Mouth

By Scott R. Cooper, Crook County Judge
published in the Central Oregonian, May 2004

The upcoming Memorial Day holiday seems as good a time as any to address an issue I’ve wanted to write about for sometime, namely the status of veterans in our nation, state and county. Few observers can have failed to note the importance of this group to the candidates currently vying for President. Both George Bush and John Kerry are trying hard to curry favor with this influential group.

Both candidates insist that they are the logical choice to be entrusted with the care of members of the American Armed Forces past and present. They are not the first nor will they be the last to make this claim, for the fight to be the veterans’ champion is one that has been with us since the founding of the Republic.

One of the first pieces of legislation taken up by Congress after the Constitution was adopted in 1789 was a pensions bill providing monies for Revolutionary War soldiers. Within a year, Congress amended this law and continued to amend it and pass new legislation through 1832. The precedent that legislation set wasn’t forgotten by future generations. Massive numbers of Americans fought in the Civil War, and following the end of hostilities became a potent political force on the American political landscape. So well organized were they in presenting their demands that President Grover Cleveland, who had not served in the Civil War, lost his seat to Benjamin Harrison in large part because Cleveland refused to support expanded Veteran’s benefits.

Some 70 years later, with the end of World War II, benefits were again a hot topic when a grateful nation expanded the veteran’s benefits program further to offer returning GIs education, housing and a medical support system previously unknown. In 1989, the administration of veteran’s services had become such a part of the national infrastructure that President Reagan created a separate cabinet agency, The Department. of Veteran’s Affairs, to deal with the resulting bureaucracy.

Now comes a test. Given the importance of this department and this constituency, can you name the current Secretary of Veterans Affairs?

My guess is that 99 percent you just failed the exam. For the record, the current secretary is Anthony J. Principi. (I only know this because I looked him up on the internet.)

Mr. Principi is, by all accounts, a nice man and a capable administrator. He is a decorated veteran, a former lawyer and was previously the No. 2 man in the department, until he was promoted to the top spot. His resume is certainly adequate for the job, if not outstanding. Still, it begs the question how is it that candidates who are so anxious to gain the vote of this important group, once they become President never appoint their best and brightest to the Veteran’s Affairs chair in their Cabinets?

What do you suppose would be happening in the VA today if, instead of Anthony J. Principi, the department were headed by Secretary Donald Rumsfeld? Or Secretary Colin Powell? Or Secretary Norman Schwartzkopf? Do you suppose the House of Representatives and Veterans groups alike would be demanding fundamental reforms in the way veterans services are delivered?

This is a question I’m surprised isn’t asked more often, considering that nearly 13 percent of U.S. citizens over age 18 are veterans. In Oregon, 15.1 percent of Oregonians over 18 and 17.1 percent of Crook County residents over 18. The VA administers a $64 billion budget and employs approximately 230,000 people at hundreds of VA medical centers, clinics, benefits offices, and national cemeteries throughout the country. Its impact is sweeping, and touches a significant number of Americans.

Yet the VA is plagued with a reputation for poor quality and failure to honor its commitments to those who have given so much for the rest of us. The VA system, by everyone’s account, is currently failing, and to the degree that the national system has stopped functioning, local governments have been called upon to pick up the slack.

Crook County is no different than the rest of the country. We have a local veteran’s service officer, Sid Carter. Sid maintains an office in the Veterans Club and helps connect low-income and disabled veterans to medical services and social supports. He ensures that veterans receive a proper burial with military honors. He helps widows and orphans file pension and on-going support applications when needed. A big part of his job is chauffeuring veterans to Redmond and back each week to ride the bus to Portland where they can receive treatment at the VA Hospital there. At last count, his open case file numbered 1,571 individuals. For the privilege of driving to Redmond and back at 5:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. three times per week, as well as attending up to five funerals per week and maintaining office hours, Sid receives a whopping $13,234 annually (plus benefits). Personally, I think we get the best end of the deal.

Increasingly, Sid is a rarity. As federal support for the veterans service officer program has dwindled steadily, various counties in Oregon have eliminated their veterans service programs altogether. Others have drastically cut hours and still others have consolidated service delivery among multiple counties, forcing vets who need help to make long trips to the nearest office.

In Crook County, we have made veterans funding a priority. We have steadily backfilled the loss of federal and state funding to the veteran’s service program for four straight years. We have done this because we believe that the sacrifices made by our veterans more than justify the expenditure of a few tax dollars.

Regardless of whether Mr. Bush or Mr. Kerry prevails in November, I hope that the winner will take a similar approach to Crook County’s. It’s time to put some muscle with the mouth.