Ehrlich on Washington column, October 11, 1999

NEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Second Congressional District of Maryland 1407 York Road, Suite 304 Lutherville, Maryland 21093 315 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON Week of October 11, 1999 By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. House Republicans Honor Nation’s Promise to Veterans One of the most honorable titles in our country is the simple but proud title “veteran.” Thanks to movies like “Saving Private Ryan” and the emotional symbolism of Maryland’s World War II memorial in Annapolis, the remarkable contributions of our older veterans are receiving renewed and much deserved appreciation. The median age for World War II soldiers, sailors, and airmen is 77 years. There are about 9 million veterans 65 years of age or over — more than one-third of the veteran population. By 2000, the number aged 65 or more will increase by 300,000. As these folks age, they will have more chronic medical needs and require more health-care services than they do now. Unfortunately, the government’s well meaning response to these needs has been haphazard. The challenge for Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is to prepare the VA health care system to meet the needs of these aging veterans, particularly their need for long-term care. I believe America has a sacred obligation to honor the promises we made to our veterans. Accordingly, this month I proudly supported two bills that bring us much closer to meeting our veterans’ needs in the new century. Recently, I voted for the Veterans/HUD appropriations bill, which contained an additional $1.7 billion above the President’s request for veterans’ health care - the largest increase since the