For 237 years, our country has been the magnificent ideal in democratic experience. Throughout that history, there have been those whose beliefs differed from ours, sometimes requiring the commitment of national treasure to guarantee our way of life.
There is always risk that a conspiring enemy could hide within the folds of our democratic garments. Such a threat arose on Sept. 11, 2001, and for over a decade now, we have fought those who believe that terrorism is legitimate political expression. It has been a long, brutal, and arduous fight, but the less-than-1-percent of Americans who serve in our armed forces have been stalwart, courageous and unwavering in their duty.
Veterans Day is set aside for the nation to honor those who have safeguarded our freedom and liberty. This year, we still have men and women in uniform performing dangerous missions on our behalf; and every year, we all have a sacred obligation to care for those who, in Abraham Lincoln’s words, "shall have borne the battle."
President Barack Obama has faithfully cared for those who serve, and have served, in our armed forces. Since 2009, the budgets for the Department of Veterans Affairs have increased from $99.8 billion to a 2013 Budget Request before the Congress of $140.3 billion — a 40 percent increase during difficult economic times. These resources have enabled VA to focus on three strategic priorities — increasing veterans’ access to VA benefits and services, eliminating the claims backlog, and ending veteran homelessness.
Eight hundred thousand new veterans, who have enrolled in VA healthcare since 2009 underscore the need for increased access to VA. Since 2009, we have added 57 new community-based outpatient clinics, 20 more mobile health clinics, and a fifth polytrauma center to provide high-quality care for our most seriously ill and injured. In August, we opened a state-of-the-art VA medical center— the first new VA hospital in 17 years. We have three more hospitals under construction. Simultaneously, we have invested heavily in new telehealth technologies to overcome the tyranny of distance and increase veterans’ access to the best providers of care anywhere in our system.
We also addressed longstanding issues from past wars, granting presumptions of service connection for three new Agent Orange-related conditions, for nine diseases associated with Gulf War Illness, and for all combat veterans with verifiable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
These three decisions dramatically expanded access for nearly a million veterans, challenging VA to also provide them timely benefits. Over the past two years, we developed, and are now deploying, a new automated Veterans Benefits Management System, which will be fully fielded next year. Our aim is to end the compensation claims backlog in 2015
Our close collaboration with the Department of Defense, including agreement on a common integrated Electronic Health Record for both departments, will seamlessly move our military personnel from duty to veteran status. Warm handoffs from DoD to VA assure seamless transitions and better care for Veterans.
VA has been the vital source of hope for Veterans in a tough economy. Our health care programs are the most comprehensive in the nation. We provide educational benefits to roughly 800,000 veterans and family members. We guarantee home loans for 1.7 million veterans, and were able to avoid foreclosure for 73,000 of them last year — the lowest foreclosure rate in the country. VA insures 6.9 million active-duty service members and veterans, with a 95 percent customer satisfaction rating. In 2012, we helped thousands of veterans find jobs by partnering with the first lady’s "Joining Forces" initiative and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s "Hiring Our Heroes" campaign, and by holding our own hiring fairs in Washington, D.C. and Detroit. All of these initiatives have significantly reduced homelessness among veterans. And when their "course on earth is run," VA’s 131 national cemeteries provide final resting places worthy of their service to the nation.
Today’s veterans are resilient, capable, and, with our care, patience and treatment, will be our next greatest generation. They deserve dignity and respect, demonstrated by our willingness to employ them and entrust them with responsibility. They are not damaged goods, as some portray.
Veterans Day provides a unique opportunity to thank them and to show them that loyalty is, indeed, a two-way street in our great nation.
