Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Veterans issues on election front
Posted by NUVO Editors on Tue, Jul 24, 2012 at 7:00 PM
On Monday afternoon, John Gregg, the Democrat's 2012 gubernatorial candidate, issued an open letter focused on veterans' issues.
At its heart it contained the following assertion:
I am appalled to learn of the number of veterans' claims now pending with the Department of Veterans Affairs. With over 450,000 veterans in Indiana, the number of claims still pending is impacting over 20,000 veterans. Bureaucratic delays in implementing efficiencies and processing claims has resulted in some veterans waiting over 4 months to have their claims processed. That is unacceptable.
The staff of the Department Service Officers of the Department of Indiana, each have an estimated caseload of 5,000 veterans claims pending at this time, and find it impossible to accept any additional requests for assistance. Also, the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs County Service Oficers are overwhelmed caring for the needs of other Indiana veterans.
Gregg pledged to do better on their behalf.
The Republican candidate, Mike Pence, has also raised veterans as a campaign issue. His approach, as outlined by the following policy goal, focuses more on employment:
Improve the quality of life for Hoosier veterans through strategies to reduce veterans' unemployment, connect veterans with existing federal benefits, and expand educational opportunities for veteran families.
Libertarian candidate Rupert Boneham has also pledged to support veterans, though his website does not outline any vet-specific policies.
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