thedrifter
05-18-07, 07:34 PM
Letter to VA: Care for vets injured in 9/11
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday May 18, 2007 15:49:14 EDT
A group of lawmakers is asking the Veterans Affairs Department to consider providing disability and health care benefits to veterans suffering from injuries or illness incurred during rescue and cleanup operations after the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
Three lawmakers, including the chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs disability assistance subcommittee, wrote VA Secretary R. James Nicholson on Thursday asking for special consideration for the thousands of military veterans.
VA spokesman Matt Burns said the letter was received late Thursday and is under review.
The letter was signed by Reps. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., Christopher Shays, R-Conn., and Jon Hall, D-N.Y. Hall, chairman of the disability assistance subcommittee, said in a statement that veterans who were injured or fell sick after responding to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks “have more than earned proper care for this service they gave to their country at Ground Zero and deserve the same veterans’ benefits that other veterans receive.”
In the letter to Nicholson, the three lawmakers ask for his “direct intervention” to provide medical screening, treatment and disability compensation for veterans who have disabilities as a result of official duties at the World Trade Center.
Active, Guard and reserve members responded after two hijacked airliners crashed into the twin towers, performing search and rescue, recovery, security, medical, engineering and support operations, the letter says.
Some of the veterans now suffer from “serious and potentially fatal” respiratory and heart conditions and other disabilities, including post-traumatic stress disorder, the letter said.
Veterans who try to get treatment or disability benefits “experience a complete lack of understanding and knowledge of these unique conditions by the Veterans Health Administration and the Veterans Benefits Administration staff due to their own lack of experience, training and expertise in these areas,” the letter says, blaming the lack of any program, policy, guidance or training, even though almost six years have passed since the terrorist attacks.
Veterans appear to have been left out, the letter says, noting there are federally funded health monitoring and treatment programs for federal workers, for police, firefighters, emergency medical crews, state and city employees and even volunteers, with worker’s compensation available and disability retirement benefits.
The three lawmakers said it would not take a change in law. Nicholson could simply tell his health and benefits staffs to provide treatment, and could use research into the health and disability issues of other people who responded to the World Trade Center attacks to decide what is a service-connected ailment or injury rather than having to do more study, the letter says.
Ellie
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday May 18, 2007 15:49:14 EDT
A group of lawmakers is asking the Veterans Affairs Department to consider providing disability and health care benefits to veterans suffering from injuries or illness incurred during rescue and cleanup operations after the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
Three lawmakers, including the chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs disability assistance subcommittee, wrote VA Secretary R. James Nicholson on Thursday asking for special consideration for the thousands of military veterans.
VA spokesman Matt Burns said the letter was received late Thursday and is under review.
The letter was signed by Reps. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., Christopher Shays, R-Conn., and Jon Hall, D-N.Y. Hall, chairman of the disability assistance subcommittee, said in a statement that veterans who were injured or fell sick after responding to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks “have more than earned proper care for this service they gave to their country at Ground Zero and deserve the same veterans’ benefits that other veterans receive.”
In the letter to Nicholson, the three lawmakers ask for his “direct intervention” to provide medical screening, treatment and disability compensation for veterans who have disabilities as a result of official duties at the World Trade Center.
Active, Guard and reserve members responded after two hijacked airliners crashed into the twin towers, performing search and rescue, recovery, security, medical, engineering and support operations, the letter says.
Some of the veterans now suffer from “serious and potentially fatal” respiratory and heart conditions and other disabilities, including post-traumatic stress disorder, the letter said.
Veterans who try to get treatment or disability benefits “experience a complete lack of understanding and knowledge of these unique conditions by the Veterans Health Administration and the Veterans Benefits Administration staff due to their own lack of experience, training and expertise in these areas,” the letter says, blaming the lack of any program, policy, guidance or training, even though almost six years have passed since the terrorist attacks.
Veterans appear to have been left out, the letter says, noting there are federally funded health monitoring and treatment programs for federal workers, for police, firefighters, emergency medical crews, state and city employees and even volunteers, with worker’s compensation available and disability retirement benefits.
The three lawmakers said it would not take a change in law. Nicholson could simply tell his health and benefits staffs to provide treatment, and could use research into the health and disability issues of other people who responded to the World Trade Center attacks to decide what is a service-connected ailment or injury rather than having to do more study, the letter says.
Ellie