McCain: Reforming veterans' care won't be cheap, must be done
DERRY, N.H. --Presidential hopeful John McCain told voters on Thursday that reforming how the nation treats its veterans will not be easy, but they cannot be ignored.
"We are going to have a very big task for both our military medical facilities and our (Veterans Administration) facilities," said McCain, a former prisoner of war. "This means we're going to have to spend a lot more money and a hire a lot more personal and do a lot more work to make the Veterans Administration handle the wounded as they go through their recovery."
A presidential commission on Wednesday urged broad changes to veterans' care that would boost benefits for family members helping the wounded, establish an easy-to-use Web site for medical records and overhaul the way disability pay is awarded.
"These kids are out there every single day, 24/7. You know the danger they are constantly facing. It's our obligation to make sure the facilities are there to take care of these young people for as long as they need it," McCain said. "We have an obligation, no matter how you feel about the war."
McCain's son, Jimmy, is deployed in Iraq. The senator did not mention his family's connection to the combat, but criticized how the system treats those who are on their way from active duty to retired military.
"The responsibility rests with those of us who should've known about this," McCain said about shoddy outpatient treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. "I can't tell you how bureaucratically cumbersome and troublesome this process is. It's not seamless. A lot of people fall through the cracks. A lot of people don't get the treatment they need."
McCain also reiterated his optimism for Iraq despite "a failed policy for 3 1/2 or 4 years" under former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
"I understand their frustration, their anger and their sorrow, but I can't stand before my constituents in Arizona and I can't stand before you and say I support a withdrawal that I am sure will result in a chaotic situation," McCain said.
McCain, on a two-day campaign trip through early voting state New Hampshire, said has been talking about the threat of terrorism and the war against what he calls "radical Islam." The message is one echoed by rival Republican Mitt Romney, who on Wednesday launched similar charges in the state.
The nine-member panel, led by former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., and Donna Shalala, health and human services secretary during the Clinton administration, also recommended stronger partnerships between the Pentagon and the private sector to boost treatment for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
A 29-page report was presented to President Bush in the Oval Office, just after the Senate addressed some of the issues Wednesday morning by passing sweeping legislation to expand brain screenings, reduce red tape and boost military pay.
About six of the 35 proposals require legislation, while the rest call for action primarily by the Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs. The expected price tag for the whole package was about $500 million each year, with added costs that could push it to $1 billion in later years.
