In Black And White: Bush Vs. Kerry On Veterans

[DrFunkenstein]

Veterans: JOHN KERRY vs. GEORGE W. BUSH

Concurrent Receipt

K: Strongly Supports Vets Receiving Full Concurrent Receipt Benefits

B: Opposes vets receiving Full Concurrent Receipt Benefits

Veterans’ Health Care

K: Voted for and Proposed Greater Health Care Funding for Veterans

B: More than 235,000 veterans waiting several months for VA health care

Prescription Drugs for Veterans

K: Authored the Veterans’ Prescription Drug Reform Act to Allow Veterans to Use the VA Pharmacy to Fill Prescriptions from a Private Physician

B: Proposed increasing prescription drugs costs for veterans including a new $250 enrollment fee

Reservist Health Care

K: Served in Reserves After Vietnam and Believes Commanders Should Never Neglect the Health Care of Reservists

B: At Ft. Stewart, Georgia wounded reservists from Iraq were forced to linger in substandard housing waiting for care & lacked even basic standards of cleanliness

Education Funding for Military Families

K: Will Fully Fund the Impact Aid Program, Ensuring that Children of Military Families Have Every Opportunity to Learn and Succeed

B: Proposed a $172 million cut in funding for the Impact Aid program to support to school districts that serve a large number of military families

Tax Cuts for Military Families

K: Supports Extending Child Tax Credit to Low-Income Military Families

B: Budget failed to extend a child tax credit to 200,000 low-income military families

http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/veterans/comparison.html

Protect and expand VA Medical Benefits:
Over 235,000 veterans are waiting more than six months for their first medical appointment with the VA, but the current administration is actively restricting access to medical care at VA hospitals. John Kerry has fought proposals to cut veterans benefits and is working to reduce the backlog. He has also proposed expanding access to prescription drugs and streamlining the process to cut the waiting list for services.

Research, Compensation and Treatment for War-Related Illnesses:
John Kerry was a leader in the fight to treat and compensate veterans who have contracted diseases related to Agent Orange. He helped pass compensation to the children of veterans with the birth defect spina bifida, which has been linked to their parents' exposure to Agent Orange. Kerry has also supported Gulf War veterans in their effort to find the causes of illnesses contracted by veterans of the first Gulf War.

Increase Military Pay and Retirement Benefits:
John Kerry has fought for cost of living increases for the military, to increase military retirement pay and disability pay for veterans wounded in service. Kerry supports concurrent receipts, which would allow veterans who have a service-connected disability to receive both military retired pay and disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Under current law, retired pay is reduced dollar-for-dollar for any VA disability benefits a veteran receives.

Full Accounting for Missing POW/MIAs:
John Kerry and Senator John McCain chaired the country's most thorough investigation into the fate of POW/MIAs in Southeast Asia. Kerry has personally pressed Vietnamese officials to cooperate in ongoing efforts to get answers for families. And he also sponsored POW/MIA Recognition Day. Kerry's Senate committee pressed for unparalleled declassification of documents, increased excavation work in Vietnam, and gathering of testimony from 144 witnesses. According to the Boston Globe, "the effort produced real answers for the some 120 families who had lived for decades without knowing whether a loved one was still alive in Southeast Asia."

Combating Homelessness:
Studies have estimated that as more than 30 percent of homeless men in America are veterans. John Kerry believes that a commitment to our veterans means guaranteeing dignity and fairness for them. In 2001 Kerry worked to help pass the Heather French Henry Homeless Veterans Assistance Act, an ambitious effort aimed at completely ending homelessness among veterans. Kerry will work to make sure that veterans have the support they need to find housing, jobs and social support they deserve.

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[La_Serpiente]

1. Wow

I noticed something right now. Kerry has a better military record than Bush. Wow, that's great.

I also realized that he has a much better plan to help veterans than Bush does. Good job Kerry. :-) :freak: :bounce: