Rick Allen: “the men and women of the Armed Forces serve this country honorably. They put their lives on the line in order to protect…”

“the men and women of the Armed Forces serve this country honorably. They put their lives on the line in order to protect our freedom and our values. We owe them our gratitude, and they deserve to be recognized and fairly compensated for their service. They also deserve to receive the benefits and the health care that they need and have earned. We are all aware of the crisis facing VA health care. Veterans are waiting unconscionable lengths of time for appointments. The President's now out-of-date Web site claims his fiscal year 2004 budget, the year we are in, which Congress increased by $1.3 billion last year, would enable the VA to eliminate the waiting lists by the summer of 2004, this summer. Well, that is not the truth. That is not going to happen. Instead, VA hospitals are struggling to meet increasing demand; and year after year, my colleagues and I have to fight to increase the underfunded VA budget. Veterans in rural States, such as Maine, face all of these problems, amplified by the fact that they may have to travel hundreds of miles to the nearest VA health facility.”