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Veterans Action Group

By VVAW

The Veterans Action Group of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War serve two purposes: (1) review existing legislation and programs for veterans in order to propose constructive changes; (2) monitor the services available to veterans in order to propose more effective ways to administer those services. In both efforts, we will bring to bear the insights and experiences of veterans, our own as well as others' whom we talk with, on the unique problems of Vietnam Era Veterans. The immediate goal is to draft a series of well-documented reports dealing with various problem areas. To that end, we will have to review the considerable research and writing done by others, and supplement it with our own ideas and suggestions from other veterans. By disseminating our ideas as widely as possible, we can counter the uniformed silence of traditional veterans groups in the face of growing concern for the dilemmas we veterans face. We have called a meeting of interested volunteers to begin setting up a structure for what must be a well organized and thorough effort. What follows is an outline of major issues with a brief summary of background information and proposals.

I. Improve Existing Benefits To At Least Equal Those of WW II

Presently unemployed compensation to veterans depends upon the law of the State where he files and his length of service and rate of pay. Nationally, the maximum weekly payments range from $36 to $76 and the maximum period for which benefits are payable is from 12 to 39 weeks.

Unemployement Benefits

World War II veterans were entitled to $20 a week for 52 weeks. The amount was uniform regardless of pay, length of service, place of residence. The purchasing power of that $20 is about $40 today. In New York State the benefits range from $20 to $75 a week. The normal period of benefits is 26 weeks, but has been extended for an additional 13 weeks as a result of the high unemployment rate.

Education Benefits

World War II veterans received subsistence payments of $90 a month ? the equivalent of $180 in terms of todays prices. In addition, the VA paid the educational institution directly for the cost of tuition and books. Today maximum benefits to a single veteran attending school full time are $175 a month for a total of 36 months. Payment is made to the veteran and he must pay for tuition, books, and living expenses out of this. After World War II and Korea, one out of every three veterans used the G. I. Bill to return to school or learn a trade. Today only one of every four veterans is applying for education benefits, mainly because the benefits are inadequate.

Loans

Unlike veterans of World War II and Korea, Vietnam Veterans cannot obtain VA guaranteed loans to buy or expand a business.

Mustering-Out Pay

After World War II, men released with over 3 months active service were given $300 (not travel allowance or payment for accrued leave) to help defray the immediate expenses of re-entering civilian life: new clothes, advance payments on rent, security deposits, and miscellaneous living expenses during the initial waiting period before salaries or other benefit payments are disbursed. During the Vietnam Era, there has been no mustering out pay at all.

II. Drug Addiction

An estimated 10-15 percent, and maybe as high as 25% of servicemen in Vietnam are using heroin. Many have been receiving undesirable and bad conduct discharges. Addiction must not be treated as a crime. Rather, a massive rehabilitation program is needed. However, the problem is not simply medical, and many of the well-intentioned recent proposals are unrealistic at best, and could be disastrous for thousands of veterans, present and future. The psycho-social aspects of addiction must be considered. The military, and the V.A. as presently structured are institutionally incapable of dealing with the underlying causes of drug abuse. Servicemen should not be retained in the military until certified "drug free". The V. A. should be prevented from wholesale and exclusive use of methadone, which simply provides a legal device to prolong a devastating drug habit. Servicemen and veterans should not be used as guinea pigs to try out other wonder drug remedies for what is a very complex problem. Government funds should be channeled into existing drug treatment facilities in the veterans communities Therapeutic communities (civilian agencies like New York?s Phoenix House) should be set up for, and run by veterans.

III. Discharges

Many servicemen, particularly, Blacks and Puerto Ricans are getting other than honorable discharges. Not only does this brand them for life in seeking employment, but it also may prevent their securing VA benefits. In each case where a veteran gets other than honorable or a dishonorable discharge, the VA makes an individual determination of eligibility. Each branch of the service has a multitude of discharges. There should be a standardization of discharges throughout the military services. Either other than honorable and dishonorable discharges should be eliminated or discharges should be reviewed by a soldiers peers. It is too easy for a commanding officer to move a man out of the service for some flimsy reason based on personal prejudice and without regard to his career and future life. Very few appeals are successful. Usually it takes a year. Success often depends upon invoking political pressure. Even then damage may be done by the time of the appeal. For example, if unemployment benefits are denied as a result of the nature of his discharge a veteran must keep reporting to the unemployment office weekly during the period of the appeal in order to collect retroactive benefits. There is a need for a massive appeal of less-than-honorable discharges that resulted from drug possession and from racist provocations of minority group members.

IV. V.A.: Structural Re-Alignment To Respond To Needs of Vietnam Era

Most men released from service enter a painful period of disorientation estrangement and isolation. Large numbers do not even bother to go to the V.A. to find out what services are available. Many who do are completely turned off by bureaucratic rigidity and alienating civil servants. There are frequent complaints of inequitable claims adjudications, and inadequate hospital care.

The V.A. should be employing large numbers of Vietnam Era Veterans to make face-to-face contact with vets as they are discharged. "Outreach" by mail on government stationary has not and will not "reach" the huge numbers of disgrunted vets to let them know what their entitlements are. (sic) The V.A. should be decentralized: Storefronts manned by young vets in local communities should replace or supplement the large V.A. centers. Contract services, to provide V.A. funds for private psychotherapy should be made available as they were after World War II. The V.A. funds should be channeled into existing health and social care agencies in communities to service veterans in need of help. There is no longer any need for V.A. hospitals to duplicate the effort of civilian facilities. In a simple move, vets could be included under Federally sponsored health insurance, which could eliminate costly bureaucratic distinctions between service-connected and non-service-connected ailments, and at the same time provide much more equitable treatment for all veterans.

V. Job Training ? Unemployment ? Re-Ordering of Social Priorities

Unemployment among veterans is over twice the national average. In addition to the shortage of jobs, the employment prospects for vets as a group are complicated by their insufficient formal training in civilian occupations and by the strong preference among many of them for admittedly unchallenging work (menial tasks like janitorial service, messenger work, etc.) or no work to better paying but more hassled jobs in the service of goals they have repudiated (corporate or government responsibilities). The Nixon Administration's "Hire a Vet" publicity campaign fails to take into account that few people are being hired now at all, and an untrained, inexperienced veteran will always be last in line. Job Fairs, special incentives to go to police work, and training programs for government civil service also fly in the face of many veterans? anti-government, anti-establishment orientation.

There is need for a veterans' job corps that will train vets in various skills, both manual and administrative. But beyond that, meaningful work must be provided in which men can use their new skills in worthwhile efforts. One possibility is to set up a semi-private social action corporation that can apply government subsidies in urban communities for reconstruction efforts whose profit potential is too low to interest the private sector.