"Since October 2001, about 1.64 million US troops served in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. Supporting these troops is much more than a Fourth of July or Memorial Day slogan. It is a sacred promise made by this nation to the brave men and women who have defended this country. Regardless of differing opinions on the war, it is the duty of Congress to ensure that we have programs available to help soldiers transition into civilian life by creating an environment where they can find good jobs with solid benefits in today's economy and successfully move back into civilian life. These veterans stood up for us, now we must stand up for them." -Retired Navy Commander Eric Massa

Putting our veterans first-As a 24 year retired Navy Commander, Eric Massa understands the issues facing our veterans today. returning veterans want to reintegrate into society and earn good jobs, but we need to stop stacking the deck against them. Supporting the troops should not be a partisan issue, and that is why Eric will act as an independent voice, with a real plan, for our veterans.
Eric will:

• Introduce legislation requiring mandatory full funding of the Veterans Administration. Themen and women that have served our nation should not be a bargaining chip. It is time to end the partisan arguments and agree to fully fund the Veterans Administration rather than having an annual debate about it. Our servicemen and servicewomen have earned it.
• Honor our veterans by allowing them to receive medical care wherever they are. Until we can achieve mandatory full funding for our VAs, we need to allow our veterans to use their Veterans Access Service Cards to receive health care at local medical facilities when there are no VA facilities in the area. This way, veterans can receive instant access to healthcare, and mental care without having to drive sometimes hundreds of miles for decent medical attention. There must be medical and psychiatric facilities available to treat our veterans - 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We have already given them the right to health care, now it is time to cut through the red tape
• Eliminate financial penalties on disabled veterans and survivors who also receive Social Security. Disabled veterans are provided with disability benefits, as they should be; however, their disability benefits cause their Social Security benefits to be reduced by a 35% to 55% offset. This reduction in benefits, referred to as a "concurrent receipt," is unfair. Disability benefits have nothing to do with Social Security benefits. They must be treated as separate entities. The family members of disabled or deceased veterans also receive a stipend. While receiving the stipend, they also suffer from a "widow's tax" in which their Social Security benefits are significant reduced. Massa would propose legislation to stop this practice.
• Expand VA Hospital services. Iraq war veterans are returning with record high rates of traumatic brain injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. VA hospitals, specializing in this field, are in high demand, but continue to close due to lack of funding. These problems aren't going to solve themselves, so we must increase programs that deal with these types of injuries, not decrease them.
• Greatly expand the scale and quality of services to treat psychological and cognitive injuries. Experts stress that the Afghan and Iraqi wars have taken a serious psychological toll. Multiple tours of combat stress cause disproportionately high psychological disorders, compared to the physical injuries from combat. Our veterans are more often psychologically affected by war, than physically. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is causing the rates of suicides and depression to skyrocket. These conditions are often slow to emerge and hard to detect. The current health care system has gaps and conditions like PTSD that are often poorly understood. A recent RAND Corporation study suggested that as many as 620,000 troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from traumatic brain injuries, PTSD, or major depression. Another study suggested that one in five service members who returned from Iraq or Afghanistan reported symptoms of PTSD or major depression. Eric Massa calls for a massive national effort equal to the scale and seriousness of these conditions. There is also evidence that the VA's expenditures on such care vary widely, with some centers spending only a fraction of the amount spent at others. The Department of Veterans Affairs has more than 100 PTSD clinical teams, but the funding is inconsistent. According to the study, the clinic in the Bronx had a cost of $2,521 per veteran. San Jose's clinical team spent $215 per veteran and the Canandaigua facility, in our own district, reported an expenditure of $1,000 in fiscal year 2006. Eric Massa believes that we need to provide equal high quality psychological care for American veterans everywhere.
• Honor our National Guard and Reserves by providing them with the same benefits that the regular military enjoys. Veteran's health care programs and educational support should fully cover the National Guard and Reserves. Guardsmen and Reservists make the same sacrifices as our everyday military, but are not allowed the same benefits. This has to change now.
• Make Health Care Available to all veterans and their families. A recent Harvard university study suggests that nearly six million uninsured Americans are veterans or family members. Some 12.2 % of the 47 million Americans without health insurance are veterans or members of a veteran's household. According to this study, published last December, there are 1.8 million veterans without health coverage. This number has increased by 290,000 since 2000. Of the 1.8 million uninsured, 645,628 are Vietnam-era vets and 1,105,891 are vets serving in other "eras" including Iraq and the Gulf wars. Nearly 2/3rds of uninsured vets are employed. This data shows the link between the failure to provide care for our vets and the larger problem, the need for national health care reform. Ultimately, each of these problems contributes to the other and common solutions are required.
• Expand federal funding for veteran's career training programs. The basis of a smooth transition from military service to a civilian life is a good job. Eric Massa believes that veterans must be equipped with all of the possible resources to obtain a good job with solid benefits in their civilian life. No more excuses, it's time to fully fund job training, vocational education, and college programs for the men and women that serve this country. Local VA facilities should organize regular job fares and informational session on these training and educational opportunities.