Congressman wants to make VA access easier for Gulf vets

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Congressman wants to make VA access easier for Gulf vets
By Geoff Ziezulewicz, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Tuesday, January 15, 2008

A U.S. congressman is asking the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a committee that would give Persian Gulf War veterans a better and simpler way to access VA resources.

In a Jan. 3 letter to VA Secretary James Peake, U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Texas, requested the formation of a Gulf War Veteran Advisory Committee, writing that the current setup does not adequately address the range of issues facing those who fought in that 1991 war.

Edwards also chairs the U.S. House Military Appropriations Subcommittee.

“As you know, many of these veterans have felt neglected by the government — both the VA and the Defense Department — and while there are a wide range of issues they would like to raise, there is no common venue within the VA for them to raise their concerns,” the letter states.

Currently, the VA’s Research Advisory Committee is the only “Gulf War-focused entity” within the department, Edwards writes, and that committee’s charter is focused on medical research recommendations.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=51639