Contact:
Tim Kauffman
202-639-6405/202-374-6491
[email protected]
WASHINGTON – In response to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ statement that it would not repay GI Bill benefits lost by thousands of veterans as a result of months of delayed payments, continual IT issues, missed deadlines and rampant department dysfunction, American Federation of Government Employees National President J. David Cox Sr. issued the following statement:
“The administration is failing our veterans. We as a country made a promise to millions of women and men that if they served their country they’d be taken care of at home. By refusing to address the staffing and budget shortfalls that have led to veterans not receiving their full education benefits under the GI Bill as well as facing significant barriers to enrolling in the world-class health care system the VA has to offer, the president and his administration are directly harming veterans and the institutions they rely on.
“Today’s news that the administration would not be making veterans whole follows a disturbing trend of broken promises to those who have borne the battle. Each ill-fated decision by the president and his allies to dismantle the VA, decrease access to care, and avoid hiring necessary health care workers are extremely detrimental to our veterans.
“The VA exists to provide support and care, and the women and men who work there believe in that mission. We just wish the president did too.”
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