Unknown to most veterans, the U.S. Senate passed a bill in April, 1998 that will effectively eliminate medical compensation benefits as related to smoking illnesses. Monetarily, over a period of five years this will mean the loss of $10.5 billion. This veteran money, according to a Washing Times article, will be used to help fund a highway/mass-transit bill, recently passed by the House of Representatives, requiring a total of $217 billion.

"Veteran groups have joined forces to fight a Clinton administration effort--approved by the Senate last month with little fanfare--to eliminate veterans' medical compensation benefits for smoking-related illnesses," said Joyce Howard Price of the Washington Times.

It was Senator Pete V. Domenici (R-N.M.) who approved a proposal set forth by the VA to end veterns' smoking-related benefits in 1999. According to Price, it was this panel that made the decision where the saved veterans' money would go.

" However, Sen. Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania Republican and chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, says he believes that "was the wrong way to go" and will fight to restore the funds," said Price.

According to the Washington Post article, two votes on the smoking benefits issue were taken the day of the decision. The first vote resulted in overwhelming support for retaining veteran benefits (98 to 0), but in what some observers termed an underhanded political move, a second vote was later taken (52 to 46) which then resulted in the loss of smoking-related benefits for fiscal 1999, during which a committee is to further study the issue.

Mr. Warfield, Vietnam Veterans of America, said that the two-vote situation that unfolded allows campaigning for reelection to claim that they supported the retention of these veterans' smoking-related benefits.

"'This was a master stroke of stealth bombing by Domenici and his troops,"' said Mr. Warfield of the Vietnam Veterans of America. He noted that the second vote called for a one-year study to determine the future of smoking-related VA benefits but recommended that the money be used to pay for highway projects in the meantime. The two votes, Mr. Warfield said, allow senators on the campaign trail to say they supported retention of the benefits, even if they later switched course." said Price of the Washington Times.

Warfield said that the House has yet to act on this bill and that veteran organizations have requested a meeting with Newt Gingrich to present their case. Washington Times' Price also said that 7,400 vets have filed claims for VA smoking-related benefits since January 1993. It was at this time that the VA general counsel approved the disbursement of disability and survivors payments and medical care for those who started smoking when in the service, having circumed to a smoking-related illness later as a civilian.

After the ruling came down, it took another four years before the VA began to implement the new program. Criteria was then set for qualification, which lead to the disqualification of 4,400 of the 7,400 cases. Of the remaining 3,000, the VA finally approved 300 cases. These three hundred cases (veterans) will not be able to maintain their benefits, however, if the recent Senate bill is allowed to stand.

Copyright ©1998
Allan B. Colombo