Honoring Our Nation's Veterans
Our nation's veterans has given the highest level of service possible to their country, and we owe them and un-payable debt for the sacrifices they make on our behalf defending liberty throughout the world. Vietnam veterans know the pain of not having support when they transitioned back, and we cannot make the same mistake with this generation that has given so much in the fight against radical extremism around the world. In Washington, we hear a lot of speeches about supporting our troops, but this has often not always added up to real help for veterans and their families. We have to improve our veterans’ health care, ensure the best educational opportunities and benefits, and work to tackle the problems of homelessness, high unemployment and the effects of traumatic brain injuries. We need to ensure that the medical facilities at which veterans receive care at, whether at home or in countries over seas meet the most rigorous standards of quality, we cannot afford to have another disgrace like that of the Walter Reed Hospital case. In addition, we need to address issues affecting women veterans. Over the past several years cases have come public about instances where male members of our nation's armed forces have assaulted their fellow female soldiers. We need to do a better job in helping women recover from these horrible acts committed against them by their fellow citizens, after all the United Nations considers the act of rape and sexual abuse a war crime. If it is wrong to use such despicable acts against other nations and populations, then it is just as wrong for one member of our military to disrespect another.
Address Homelessness and Unemployment Among Veterans. Today, veterans comprise approximately one-third of the adult homeless population, meaning more than 100,000 veterans could be on the streets on a given night. Karla Romero believes this situation is unacceptable and that we must do what ever it takes to take care of those who have put their lives on the line to defend our liberty, we owe these men and women an un-payable debt. Karla will fight to increase funding for more case managers and vouchers through the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program to meet rising demand and extend a lifeline to homeless veterans.
Streamline Processing at the Veterans Administration. Veterans must wait almost half a year for a disability benefits claims decision from the Veterans Administration (VA). If a claim is denied, then an appeal can take years to process. This is unacceptable. I will work diligently to streamline government services by using new technologies, and instituting performance based personnel management. I will take the same approach in trying to eliminate inefficiencies at the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). Congress and the VA have made admirable strides towards reducing wait times for benefits decisions, but more still needs to be done. Advanced appropriations for the VA allows for greater planning, but Congress must fight to adequately fund information technology and benefits staff in each budget. We then need to set concrete goals for reducing wait times and hold VBA administrators accountable for meeting these benchmarks.
Confront Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) and Brain Injuries. Over 200,000 service members have sustained some form of traumatic brain injury (TBI) over the last decade. 1 in 5 Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans now suffer from PTSD. According to the Department of Defense, over 1,000 members of our armed forces took their own lives between 2005 and 2009, an average of 1 suicide every 36 hours. These are truly staggering statistics. We have to do everything possible to tackle these issues head on, and provide our troops and veterans with the care they deserve. I would be a persistent advocate for initiatives to reduce suicide rates like the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program and the Real Warriors Campaign. To more effectively understand TBI, Karla will fight for consistent VA and DOD funding for longitudinal studies of the long-term health impacts. Karla also supports eliminating the burden on veterans to prove a “stressor” in order to receive disability benefits for PTSD. This placed unnecessary pressure on some of our most vulnerable veterans, and often delayed claims for years.
Protect Women Service Members. Women veterans are the fastest-growing segment of the veteran population, yet there is still a great disparity in the VA for female doctors. The VA should increase funding for hiring more women to properly represent the participation of our female service members. More resources also have to be available for reproductive health, gender specific care, and community outreach partnerships. Sexual assault and harassment is intolerable anywhere, but the recent increase of sexual assaults in the military is unacceptable. Karla will fight to give Congress a larger oversight role and greater transparency in identifying and reporting instances of sexual assault in the Armed Forces.
Address Homelessness and Unemployment Among Veterans. Today, veterans comprise approximately one-third of the adult homeless population, meaning more than 100,000 veterans could be on the streets on a given night. Karla Romero believes this situation is unacceptable and that we must do what ever it takes to take care of those who have put their lives on the line to defend our liberty, we owe these men and women an un-payable debt. Karla will fight to increase funding for more case managers and vouchers through the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program to meet rising demand and extend a lifeline to homeless veterans.
Streamline Processing at the Veterans Administration. Veterans must wait almost half a year for a disability benefits claims decision from the Veterans Administration (VA). If a claim is denied, then an appeal can take years to process. This is unacceptable. I will work diligently to streamline government services by using new technologies, and instituting performance based personnel management. I will take the same approach in trying to eliminate inefficiencies at the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). Congress and the VA have made admirable strides towards reducing wait times for benefits decisions, but more still needs to be done. Advanced appropriations for the VA allows for greater planning, but Congress must fight to adequately fund information technology and benefits staff in each budget. We then need to set concrete goals for reducing wait times and hold VBA administrators accountable for meeting these benchmarks.
Confront Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) and Brain Injuries. Over 200,000 service members have sustained some form of traumatic brain injury (TBI) over the last decade. 1 in 5 Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans now suffer from PTSD. According to the Department of Defense, over 1,000 members of our armed forces took their own lives between 2005 and 2009, an average of 1 suicide every 36 hours. These are truly staggering statistics. We have to do everything possible to tackle these issues head on, and provide our troops and veterans with the care they deserve. I would be a persistent advocate for initiatives to reduce suicide rates like the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program and the Real Warriors Campaign. To more effectively understand TBI, Karla will fight for consistent VA and DOD funding for longitudinal studies of the long-term health impacts. Karla also supports eliminating the burden on veterans to prove a “stressor” in order to receive disability benefits for PTSD. This placed unnecessary pressure on some of our most vulnerable veterans, and often delayed claims for years.
Protect Women Service Members. Women veterans are the fastest-growing segment of the veteran population, yet there is still a great disparity in the VA for female doctors. The VA should increase funding for hiring more women to properly represent the participation of our female service members. More resources also have to be available for reproductive health, gender specific care, and community outreach partnerships. Sexual assault and harassment is intolerable anywhere, but the recent increase of sexual assaults in the military is unacceptable. Karla will fight to give Congress a larger oversight role and greater transparency in identifying and reporting instances of sexual assault in the Armed Forces.
