Richardson plans $15 billion in veterans care

[unhappycamper]

Richardson plans $15 billion in veterans care
By David Pitt - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Nov 3, 2007 7:55:33 EDT

DAVENPORT, Iowa — Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson on Friday proposed a $15.5 billion plan for military veterans that calls for cutting their income taxes, giving them a health care card to access private care and expanding education benefits.

The New Mexico governor would pay for the plan by collecting certain capital gains taxes, which he said would pull in $25 billion.

He said conditions at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center represent the Bush administration’s “terrible mistreatment of America’s veterans.”

In February, reports surfaced of shoddy outpatient treatment, poor living conditions and bureaucratic delays at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.

Soon afterward, Bush set up a presidential commission that called for broad changes to veterans’ care that would boost benefits to family members caring for the wounded, establish an easy-to-use Web site for medical records and overhaul the way disability pay is awarded.

“Not every wound can be treated with bandages,” Richardson said during his speech. “We have to have a national strategy and we don’t. We need to make mental health care a priority for veterans.”


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/11/ap_richardson_veterans_071102/