Pennsylvania's Veterans Deserve Better

By Senator Michael A. O'Pake (D-Berks)
Senate Democratic Whip

          Harrisburg, November 5, 2007 -- As we pause this Veterans Day, November 11, to honor the service and sacrifice of so many Pennsylvanians who have served in our nation's armed forces down through the years, it is also time in Pennsylvania that we take action to better address the needs of those selfless citizens who have answered the call in the fight for freedom.
          For many years, including this session, I have joined with several of my state Senate colleagues in sponsoring legislation to give the needs of Pennsylvania's war veterans a stronger voice through the creation of a new Cabinet-level Department of Veterans' Affairs.
          But, it was just last month that the heightened need for this legislation was underscored anew with the release of a 154-page, bipartisan report of the state's Legislative Budget and Finance Committee.
          This committee, similar to the well-respected General Accounting Office at the federal level, noted that while Pennsylvania's "Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs and its subordinate Bureau of Veterans' Affairs are well-run, well-managed organizations," not enough individual focus and attention is being given to the provisioning of veterans services and benefits.
          In calling for the creation of a separate Cabinet-level state Department of Veterans' Affairs, as envisioned by the legislation (SB 28) I've co-sponsored this session and in years past, the study found that the current setup results in Pennsylvania ranking "in the bottom one-quarter of all states in the receipt of federal funding for veterans' programs."
          This is an absolute outrage considering the fact that Pennsylvania has one of the largest war veteran populations in the nation.
          Pennsylvania's veterans should not be at the bottom of receiving resources from the federal government; they should be at the top.
          And yet, the report found that in FY 2005, the most recent year of available data, the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs spent an average of $2,896 per veteran nationwide.  In Pennsylvania, though, for our 1.12 million veterans, the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs spent only $2,364 per veteran.  Only eight states received a lower per veteran expenditure, according to the report.  Even if we had received only the national average of what the federal VA spends in other states, "Pennsylvania would receive an additional $594.3 million worth of federal funds" for our veterans.  Citing "intense" competition from other states for federal resources, the report clearly states that the creation of a new "adequately resourced" Department of Veterans' Affairs in Pennsylvania would give Pennsylvania a much better chance to "garner substantially more federal funding.  Other states are doing it.  Pennsylvania can do it too," the study concludes.
          The fact is we owe it to our veterans to enact this legislation.  It is my hope that we finally will.
          We owe it to the Pennsylvania veterans of past wars. 
          And we owe it to the new veterans who have come home -- and, we pray, will come home -- from Iraq and Afghanistan.
          In the meantime, my office has prepared a pamphlet outlining the various veterans' programs and services that are currently available.  If you or a family member would like a copy, please contact my district office at 610-929-2151 and we would be happy to send you one.

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