FEET TO OUR PRAYERS

Say what? It seems that an older lady lived next door to a "crack" house. Cars coming and going constantly, ne'the wells everywhere. She talked to the police but nothing happened with the only encouragement coming from her pastor, "let us pray." A few weeks later, the house burned to the ground. Her pastor remarked that it was a miracle. The old lady smiled and said, "Yes, it is a miracle even if I did have to put feet to my prayers."

Recently, I talked with a former Army nurse who is receiving a disability for MS. It is something very worthy but also a little troubling. I've never quite understood the system. The VA gives recognition of illnesses like MS and of hysterectomies (I know because another female friend told me of her rating). I'm not against this but just don't understand when so many combat soldiers have trouble in getting evaluations and help from the VA when non combat illnesses seem to get attention. I find myself in unfamiliar territory as I only want to make the point of the slow response of evaluations which in term equals treatment.

ROAD BLOCKS

All of us have read of the unbelievable bureaucratic hassles that wounded soldiers seeking disability care and benefits face. Most of the time, it takes at least six months for a soldier to get benefits, arriving at this juncture after four tortuous hearings to determine his eligibility. What is he/she suppose to do all this time while he's waiting? The country surely didn't wait when they sent him/her off to war. Give me a break, this is outrageous I am told by reliable sources that there's a backlog of literally thousands of cases.

According to the VA, they can't hire the people to deal with this great influx. Well, why not? A friend of mine who is fully eligible to be involved encountered a mountain of paperwork in getting hired. Supposedly, the VA is offering professionals a good chance to get into the system on a temporary basis. But, let's face it, what professional health care professional, who has a good practice, is going to give it up for a "possibility." VA needs a better system. Figure it out.


BENEFITS AND CARE

Veteran benefits and care is not the same thing. My experience with VA is that the care is good and the patient satisfaction rating is one of the best in the country. But, that is if you are already in the system. What if you are not in the system? The veterans benefits system has not been changed since the close of WW ll. It is about time.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and severe brain injury already affect an estimated 45,000 in the present wars. They need attention and not a wait and see. We fully understand what happened with Vietnam vets who more or less took things into their own hands to get their benefits. For goodness sakes, let's don't make the Iraqi and Afghanistan vets do the same.

Let's establish blame here: the President and Congress. We are calling the present soldiers heroes and rightly so but while we are doing it, let's put feet to our prayers and give them recognition that actually helps. One immediate solution is to keep wounded soldier on active duty until their cases are resolved. This move to shuffle them out of the military as quick as possible is wrong headed. What gives?

The Army says it has a solution--special "warrior transition units" which are to be at 32 national centers. This is a start.