Caregiver care

As many of you know, I’m blessed by geography because every Saturday morning I get to have my favorite breakfast (Army SOS on scrambled eggs and a biscuit) with my favorite people (those young people who’ve paid the price for my freedom) at the Walter Reed messhall. No matter how I feel when I get there, my spirits are raised by the great attitudes I encounter there.

No matter what their injuries are, they always have a smile, they always have a firm hand shake and they’re always humble about their injuries and optimistic about their futures.

The hardest part, though, is to look into the eyes of 20-something wives faced with an uncertain future of caring for the men they love unconditionally. I just want to give them all a hug if it didn’t make me look like a dirty old man (mostly because I’m unclean and an old man).

Well, the good news is that Congress is considering a bill to improve the support for family caregivers next week in House Resolution 3155 – Caregiver Assistance and Resource Enhancement Act (you can see it at thomas.loc.gov). I’m no lawyer, but looking at the resolution and the U.S. Code that it modifies (38 U.S.C. 111, 1720B , 1720G, and 1782) it provides for training, counseling and lodging and subsistence for family caregivers.

According to the email TSO sent me;

The July 2007 report of the President’s Commission on Care for America’s Returning Wounded Warriors (Dole-Shalala Commission) found that of the 1,730 injured OEF/OIF veterans surveyed, about 21 percent of active duty, 15 percent of the reserve, and 24 percent of retired or separated service members had friends or family who gave up a job to be a caregiver.

This bill, by no means a panacea, goes a long way towards making a down payment on the debt we owe these wonderful young people.

The bill’s sponsor is Rep Michaud, Michael H. [ME-2] and the co-sponsors are;
Rep Brown, Corrine [FL-3] – 7/20/2009
Rep Crenshaw, Ander [FL-4] – 7/20/2009
Rep Donnelly, Joe [IN-2] – 7/9/2009
Rep Halvorson, Deborah L. [IL-11] – 7/9/2009
Rep Klein, Ron [FL-22] – 7/21/2009
Rep Rodriguez, Ciro D. [TX-23] – 7/9/2009
Rep Smith, Christopher H. [NJ-4] – 7/20/2009
Rep Teague, Harry [NM-2] – 7/9/2009
Rep Wolf, Frank R. [VA-10] – 7/21/2009

So I’m calling my uber-Leftist Congressman Chris VanHollen Monday and find out why he’s not a co-sponsor. I’m sure it’s not his fault.

Category: Military issues, Support the troops