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Obama reaffirms commitment to veterans

President Barack Obama on Tuesday gave an upbeat yet sobering appraisal of his six-month-old administration’s treatment of the nation’s military veterans, touting spending to improve health care, the introduction of the Post-9/11 GI Bill and a greater effort to reach out to vets.

But he acknowledged continued deficiencies in areas such as smoothly transitioning service members into civilian life and the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system.

“I really believe we have been true to our commitment to our veterans,” Obama told a small group of defense reporters during a meeting at the White House Roosevelt Room. Despite his administration’s goal of a “seamless transition” from military to civilian life, however, Obama acknowledged that obstacles remain.

“What we’re trying to do is just break down the hurdles that exist between veterans and the VA,” Obama said. One of the major obstacles, he said, is the lack of an electronic medical records system that both the Pentagon and VA can easily share.

Obama also acknowledged fiscal realities when he slightly hedged a campaign promise to enroll all veterans in the VA health care system, including those “Priority 8” veterans — those with at least modest incomes whose medical conditions are not service-connected — who were locked out of VA health care during the Bush administration as a cost-cutting move.

“I don’t think you ever come up with the perfect solution,” Obama said. “What you have to do is balance the need of somebody who isn’t disabled, but has a very modest income and needs health care and thought they were promised health care by the U.S. government when they signed up, with those who are more severely injured, and making sure they’ve got the special resources that they need.

“I don’t think there’s a perfect formula,” Obama said. “But I think we have obligations to both sets of veterans. Given the resources that we have, we want to try to meet as many of those obligations as we can.”

Obama also said he is familiar with the issue of respiratory illness and blood cancers resulting from exposure to war-zone burn pits that have been extensively reported by Military Times. Citing the long denials of past administrations over health issues such as 1950s atomic radiation tests and Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam, he said he wants an objective assessment of the problem.

“In all of these cases, my overriding mandate to my agencies is that we get the best science possible,” Obama said. “And then you make decisions based on, ‘How can we protect our men and women in uniform, how can we treat those who’ve been harmed?’

“I don’t want us hiding the ball if there’s a real problem there,” Obama said. “Now, I am absolutely convinced that our commanders in theater are doing everything they can to protect their men and women. The key is to understand that our scientific knowledge and our medical knowledge may evolve. And if we find out that something’s wrong, even … it might not have been anyone’s fault … nobody’s served by denial or sweeping things under the rug.”

The generous Post-9/11 GI Bill has drawn near universal praise, but outside groups have pointed out several significant flaws in the enabling legislation. One of these is the exclusion of National Guardsmen who were activated for homeland defense missions during the past eight years under the control of their state governor rather than the president.

Obama said he wants to fix that. “My general philosophy is that somebody who served in uniform on behalf of our safety and security, that they should be eligible,” Obama said. He indicated internal concern, however, over the cost of adding what one interest group estimates is more than 30,000 National Guardsmen who would be affected, and said his staff is in talks with the Office of Management and Budget and the congressional appropriations committees over how to fund a change.

“We want to be inclusive, not exclusive,” Obama said.

DISCUSS: The GI Bill