http://www.veteransforamerica.org/page/weblog/subpage/display_blog/BID/32F54FCC-123F-747A-1B00C96FB0E4038FOn October 4, I testified on behalf of Veterans for America about the needs of returning Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans before an Institute of Medicine (IOM) hearing in San Antonio, Texas. The Veterans’ Disability Benefits Commission (VDBC) asked the IOM to advise them on what to do about presumptive service connection for war-related medical problems. What could have been a dry academic meeting offered some interesting surprises.
The IOM contacted me one week before the hearing asking if I could fly to San Antonio, Texas and speak about the concerns of new war veterans.
Before I describe the IOM/VDBC hearing, here is a bit of background. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) uses “presumptives” as a way to expedite the paperwork process so that war veterans get disability payments and healthcare faster. For example, due to the massive and widespread use of poisonous Agent Orange, a Vietnam War veteran with prostate cancer need only show VA that he or she served in Vietnam and has prostate cancer in order to be treated by a VA doctor and to collect disability payments.
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go here for text of testimony
http://www.veteransforamerica.org/ArticleID/8416Veterans for America Testimony for the Institute of Medicine
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Paul Sullivan
Oct 10, 2006
On October 4, Paul Sullivan of Veterans for America testified about the needs of returning Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans before an Institute of Medicine (IOM) hearing in San Antonio, Texas. The Veterans’ Disability Benefits Commission (VDBC) asked the IOM to advise them on what to do about presumptive service connection for war-related medical problems.
Click to read Paul's written testimony (Adobe Acrobat Reader required)
Click to read Paul's report on the hearing in the VFA weblog.
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