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Senator Brown fighting to get better care for veterans

The Logan Daily News - 6/16/2017

LOGAN - A determined senator continues to fight for veterans in Ohio and across the nation by introducing legislation to help improve healthcare for those who served in the Armed Forces.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), the longest-serving Ohioan on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, said the bill would provide doctors outside the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) system with the training needed to care for the special medical needs of veterans.

"I'm the only senator ever to serve a full term. I have been on the Veteran's Committee for 10 years now. A big focus is what to do about veterans who have served our country," Brown stated. "We want to make sure there is funding for the community-based clinics and the big hospitals like Chillicothe (Chillicothe VA Medical Center), which is where a lot of the veterans in Hocking County would go."

The Community Care Core Competency Act aims to support the VA in offering ongoing medical education on the needs of veterans, especially those with traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder, for doctors outside the VA who treat veterans and their family members, according to Brown's office.

"Our veterans and their families have unique health needs connected to their service to our country," said Brown. "It's critical to give all doctors who treat our veterans the training they need to provide the best care possible to our heroes."

The Ohio Department of Veterans Services reports that there are approximately 830,000 former service members who reside in Ohio, ranking the state sixth nationally in terms of veteran population.

"Hocking County has 2,752 veterans and our statistics show that 229 live below poverty level. Also, a total of 625 Hocking County veterans, at last count, were dealing with some sort of disability - although not necessarily all of those folks have a service-connected disability," said ODVA Public Information Officer Jeff Rapp.

Rapp stated while ODVA is always interested in potential legislation that could benefit veterans, but it does not have an official stance on this particular bill at this time.

"We certainly agree with the premise that many veterans do face unique health concerns which are often related to their service," Rapp remarked. "Our men and women of service deserve our constant gratitude for the amazing sacrifices they make and the commitment they display every day. We enjoy basic freedoms because of them. Ohioans have a deep understanding and appreciation for our military, which is why they gladly honor and recognize our veterans."

A Families USA report finds that Medicaid covers about 1.75 million veterans nationally and 71,000 veterans in Ohio.

Brown has been a big proponent in protecting healthcare coverage for veterans. He spoke out against the House plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would threaten healthcare for veterans in the Buckeye State covered by Medicaid.

Brown's office stated that many veterans and their family members don't qualify for health insurance coverage through the VA, which leaves many of them relying on Medicaid. Furthermore, approximately 25,000 veterans in Ohio and 12,000 family members have coverage through the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion, as reported by the Kasich Administration. If the ACA is repealed, Brown's office noted that Medicaid expansion would be eliminated leaving those veterans and family members without health insurance.

In addition, its been reported that for every dollar the State of Ohio spends caring for veterans through Medicaid, an average of about .63 cents comes from federal dollars that would be cut by the House bill.

Rapp said ODVA works closely with the 88 County Veterans Services offices and provides training to make sure veterans know what's available to them and guide them on the right path to their healthcare. He went on to state that continuing that line of communication and getting out that information, through OhioVets.gov, is a huge part of what the state agency does.

"Veterans deserve more than a parade or a waving flag. Thankfully, Ohio has many programs that provide that and there is more that can be done. ODVS advocates for veterans and tries to ensure that they receive proper care," Rapp concluded.

"This administration seems to be backing off to the commitment to eradicate homelessness among veterans. Chillicothe (Chillicothe VA Medical Center), is one of the leaders in the country on that," Brown concluded.

The Chillicothe VA Medical Center is located at 17273 state Route 104 in Chillicothe. For more information on the center, visit www.chillicothe.va.gov or call 1-800-894-9628.

To contact the Hocking County Veterans Services, located at 93 West Hunter Street, call 740-385-7507.