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Restructuring the VA medical system to ensure that
resources focus on patient care. The Administration has also proposed
that the VA medical facilities be allowed to keep a portion of the
money collected from third parties. |
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Ensuring that disabled veterans and military retirees
receive full cost-of-living adjustments on benefits. |
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Fighting to fully fund veterans benefit programs.
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Protecting compensation for mentally incompetent veterans.
This Administration has successfully opposed Congressional attempts to
eliminate such funding. |
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Ensuring that veterans and their families are buried with
dignity through increased funding for the National Cemetery System.
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Announcing that Vietnam veterans with prostate cancer and
peripheral neuropathy are entitled to disability payments because of
their exposure to Agent Orange. The Administration will also seek
legislation to provide help for veterans’ children who suffer from
spina bifida. In 1993, President Clinton extended disability benefits
to Vietnam veterans with other illnesses caused by exposure to Agent
Orange. |
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Establishing the Presidential Advisory Committee on Gulf
War Veterans’ Illness aimed at finding the causes of these illnesses
and improving the care available to Persian Gulf veterans. As part of
this effort, the Administration expanded funding for research and
medical care at the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and
Health and Human Services. |
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Hiring more veterans in the federal government. Despite
overall hiring decreases across the federal government in the last
three years, the percentage of jobs going to veterans has increased.
The proportion of veterans among new full-time hires increased from
23.6% in 1992 to 33.3% in 1994. The federal government continues to
lead the nation in the percentage of veterans in its workforce.
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Helping over 1.5 million veterans obtain civilian jobs
through the Department of Labor’s veterans’ employment service. Nearly
500,000 separating service members and their spouses received job
search training under the department’s Transition Assistance Program.
The veterans’ unemployment rate has been cut by almost a third during
the first three years of the Clinton Administration—from 7.2% in
January 1993 to 4.9% in January 1996. |
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Improving processing time and reducing pending caseload
for compensation and pension claims at the Veterans Benefits
Administration. In fiscal year 1997, the Veterans Benefits
Administration will process original compensation claims 33 days
faster than in fiscal year 1997, and the pending caseload will be
reduced by 20%. |
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Fighting to break the cycle of homelessness among
veterans. This Administration has more than doubled VA funding of
programs for the homeless. As part of a new Homeless Providers Grant
Program, VA awarded more than $11.8 million to 59 public and private
nonprofit groups to develop new programs to assist homeless
veterans. |