textfiles-politics/politicalTextFiles/vets.txt

***** Reformatted.  Please distribute.


   CLINTON/GORE ON ISSUES OF CONCERN TO VETERANS



For decades Americans struggled and sacrificed to
defend freedom and democracy and to win the Cold
War.  Our nation owes a great debt of gratitude to
the soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and airwomen
whose talent and dedication led to our victory.

Bill Clinton and Al Gore have consistently
supported veterans.  They deeply appreciate the
sacrifices of those who were called to serve our
country and fight for the ideals for which it
stands.  Our veterans deserve the best we have.

A Clinton/Gore Administration will work to improve
health services at VA hospitals and preserve them
strictly for veterans.  We must ensure that men and
women in the armed services and defense industries
have opportunities to shift their talents to the
civilian sector. Bill Clinton and Al Gore have
offered a detailed plan to utilize the talents and
energies of those who have served in the military
to meet many of our pressing needs at home in the
fields of medicine, education, law enforcement and
industrial technology.

The Clinton/Gore Plan

Health care

*    Appoint a Secretary of Veterans Affairs who
     understands the real problems facing veterans
     and can go directly to the President to cut
     through bureaucracy and improve services for
     our veterans.

*    Ensure the VA receives the funding it needs
     to provide excellent, timely care to veterans
     and oppose opening VA hospitals up to
     non-veterans.

*    Cut bureaucracy at the VA to decrease waiting
     periods for outpatient services and to ensure
     that benefits arrive on time.

*    Ensure advance notification of any changes in
     benefits packages and programs for disabled
     veterans.

*    Fund programs to deal with the common mental
     health problems of veterans, such as
     Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome.

Employment in a post-Cold War economy

*    Gradually scale down our military forces by
     shifting military personnel from active duty
     to the National Guard and reserves and
     gradually limit recruitment and reenlistment
     efforts.

*    Provide early retirement incentives, with a
     pro-rated pension for military personnel with
     15 to 20 years of service to encourage
     voluntary down-sizing.

*    Work with states to provide alternative
     certification programs for military personnel
     who retire to take jobs in critical
     professions like education, health care or law
     enforcement, and increase their military
     credit by one year for each year of such
     employment.

*    Train military personnel for critical
     civilian professions by allowing them to take
     a one-year educational leave of absence with
     pay before officially beginning their
     retirement.

Taking care of our soldiers

*    Expand Veterans Centers to help veterans,
     their spouses, children and other family
     members learn to deal with the scars of war.

*    Assist homeless veterans by converting closed
     military bases to homeless shelters, with
     priority for veterans.  These centers should
     provide medical care, job training, and job
     counseling.

*    Make resolution of the POW/MIA issue a
     national priority by insisting on a full
     accounting of all POWs and MIAs before
     normalizing relations with Vietnam; working
     with the Russian government to reveal any
     information it has on Americans held; and
     declassifying pertinent government documents.

*    Reevaluate the discharge process,
     particularly as it affects Vietnam veterans
     and the enforcement of the statute of
     limitations.


The Record

Veterans affairs

*    Under Bill Clinton, Arkansas has ranked first
     nationwide three years in a row in per capita
     veteran reimbursement by the U.S. Department
     of Agriculture.

*    Strongly supported the budgets and
     initiatives of the Arkansas Department of
     Veterans Affairs and Arkansas Veterans Home.

*    Appointed directors who ensured the agency is
     represented by strong veterans advocates;
     these directors are valuable advisors on
     Governor Clintons staff.

*    The Governors Task Force on Veterans Affairs
     ensures that all veterans have a voice in
     issues that concern them.

*    Governor Clinton has shown unwavering support
     of the County Veterans Service Officer
     program, the backbone of a statewide veterans
     assistance program.

*    Signed executive orders in 1983, 1989 and
     1990 to ensure that there is a veterans
     preference in state hiring.

*    Senator Gore has opposed President Bush's
     efforts to open VA hospitals to non-civilians.
     He recently wrote a letter to President Bush
     criticizing his inadequate funding for
     veterans health.

*    Opposed attempts to reduce the travel
     allowance for veterans needing VA medical
     care.

*    Supported legislation to improve veterans'
     health care with two cost-of-living increases
     in service-connected disabilities and
     compensation

*    Supported the Agent Orange Act of 1991.

*    Supported full funding for the Homeless
     Veterans Reintegration Program, which is
     tremendously successful at locating and
     helping homeless veterans by teaching them
     important job skills.

Honoring veterans

*    Bill Clinton was the first donor to three
     non-profit corporations established to expand
     the three national cemeteries in Arkansas, two
     of which were in imminent danger of closing.

*    Strongly supported a bill to provide a
     $25,000 state appropriation to each fund drive
     and signed legislation into law.

National Guard and Reserve

*    Authorized and supported the Arkansas
     National Guard's deployment to overseas
     locations for training purposes.

*    Directed the formation of family support
     groups in every location from which the 7,000
     Arkansas Reserve and National Guard men and
     women were deployed for active duty in Desert
     Storm.

*    Oversaw Operation Welcome Home , which was
     the third largest troop appreciation parade in
     the nation. Veterans of every conflict
     participated in the parade.

*    Formed the Arkansas POW/MIA Verification Task
     Force to investigate the presently unknown
     fates of 26 Arkansans. Governor Clinton
     appointed members to the force based on their
     record of involvement with veterans.