Group Says 'The Time is Now to Take Action for Our Veterans and Change'

It is an outrage that VA employees procrastinate, destroy files, and do not work to service the veterans who deserve the funds, driving them into bankruptcy, suicide, educational benefits and so much more.

(GARDEN GROVE, Calif.) - Established in 2006, the mission of Veterans for Change is simple, promoting the rights, treatments and benefits for all Veterans.

Founded by Jim Davis, son of retired Marine Master Gunnery Sergeant Lesley Davis, he has made it his mission in life to do all he can to service and fight for the rights of all Veterans.

Davis lost his father to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, from exposure to Agent Orange while fighting the war in Vietnam.

Since the beginning of Veterans for Change, Davis is asking for Veterans, and citizens to contact Congress, requesting legislation to cover all veterans exposed to TCE (trichloroethylene) and PCE (tetrachloroethylene), especially in the locations of MCAS El Toro, California, MCAS Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and other former and current military locations nationwide.

Veterans Administration policy puts the burden of proof on veterans to provide extensive supporting documentations for disability compensation claims for TCE/PCE exposure.

These actions established by the VA lead to an emotional war for the veterans, even when the veterans were exposed when stationed at military sites that were contaminated and the illness is linked to TCE/PCE exposure.

Veterans for Change requests Congress to be proactive by investigating HERO, Healthcare Effectiveness through Resource Optimization, and establish better access health care when specific care is not available.

Many veterans are located in rural areas and have difficulty getting to a Veterans Hospital. Additional health care facilities are needed to service the veterans and to provide quality medical care.

With a new administration promising change, now is the time for all Americans to voice their concerns and let President Barack Obama and the new administration to awaken to stop procrastinating and hiding documents from Congress and to give our veterans what is owed to them and their families. The time is now to get involved and let Congress know our Veterans deserve better treatment.

Recent discoveries have revealed that billions, not millions, are owed to Veterans who have patiently waited to hear from the Veterans Administration. Some of these claims have been filed for many, many years.

Many of these claims have been in the process and review stages for years, sitting on a desk, awaiting a reply, all a reflection of illegally denied claims and possible criminal activity by hundreds, if not thousands of VA employees.

Members of Veterans for Change have received canned replies stating, “I want to express my appreciation for Veterans who have answered the call of duty,” only to give up. Now that America is involved in stimulus packages that service earmarks and other funds to the bridges to nowhere, the time is now to fund the Veterans who have served their country in times of war and peace. The time is now to service their claims. Let us all make some noise to Washington and our Congressional members to fund programs that honor promises made to our Veterans. The time is now to treat the men and women who serve our country to receive the medical, financial, and emotional support established by the Veterans Administration. Congress, honor the Veterans by providing the benefits and care, regardless of the cost.

For further information on this group, contact Jim Davis, President of Veterans-for-Change, at Jdavis90813@hotmail.co

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John in Ohio April 7, 2009 8:28 pm (Pacific time)

I want to write to tell you how much I appreciate the work you do in bringing attention to the foot dragging by the VA. I served two tours in Viet Nam and was awarded many hunks of metal including the Bronze Star. I have been disabled for the past 25+ years and am currently dealing with MS as well as many other illnesses. The illnesses are the easy part. Dealing with the VA is the hard part. I am awaiting "approval" for the claims I have for Agent Orange compensation. I've gotten the normal minimum 20% disability, but have been waiting in limbo for a long time. I've met vets who have waited for more than 4 years. Some are incredibly obvious that their skin conditions were related because they started within a few years of service. The VA is saying they need to have filed a claim within 12 months of discharge. Most all vets didn't even know there was an Agent Orange program. In many cases our (read that as my application) were trashed because we didn't qualify for anything. I was told I made "too much money" and "your illnesses don't qualify" and my application was tossed into a trash can. I'm afraid that many vets give up because of "bureaucracy fatigue". Some die without the help they need. What a great way to repay a vet. Thanks for pointing out the idiocy of the system.

El Toro April 5, 2009 3:08 pm (Pacific time)

Someone needs to wake-up our Congressional representatives. Veterans are seriously ill and dying from exposure to TCE/PCE in the military. Most have no clue to the cause of their illness. The government apparently likes it that way and has taken no steps to notify veterans of the contaminants they were exposed to and the health effects. Many of the 133 military bases on the EPA Superfund list have groundwater contaminated with TCE/PCE, known carcinogens. Yet, a veteran exposed to these deadly chemicals in the military has to provide proof to the VA when applying for VA disability compensation. Someone fighting for his/her life from cancer doesn't have the energy to fight the VA, too. The government knows this and looks the other way. Last week a close friend told me that the Navy and Marine Corps efforts to notify Camp Lejeune veterans and dependents of TCE/PCE contaminated base wells have ended after one year. I haven’t had the time to check this out myself, but will do so this week. The story is that the legislation requiring the military to notify veterans and dependents was effective for only one year, despite the fact that the government confirmed the death of 16 children from leukemia linked to the base wells.

Subvet416 April 5, 2009 6:09 am (Pacific time)

The VA Healthcare System is a running dog of Big Pharma. Big Pharma loves it when you lobby your elected representatives to fund more of their very profitable, but mostly needless and harmful products and services. One brave man who is opposing this corrupt practice is Senator Charles Grassly. He has started with the lowest weasels in the deck, the drug psychiatrists, and has now set his sights on the corrupt cardiologists who sell the American public on many thousands of dangerous and unneeded heart surgeries every year. Want to help vets? Move to the sound of the guns like Senator Grassly, not to the sounds of the cash registers at Big Pharma. Good Luck and Good Hunting!

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