Department addresses PSU veterans' concerns

By WILLIAM GUHL
Collegian Staff Writer

Many of the common concerns that face America's veterans can often be magnified for those veterans now pursuing a college education.

The Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C., is attempting to address some of those concerns, said Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Hershel W. Gober.

"We are always looking at ways we can better serve our constituents -- the veterans," Gober said.

Pat Scanlan, president of the Penn State University Veterans Organization, said the members in his organization are primarily concerned with the issue of access to quality health care.

"I have no medical insurance and a lot of us (in PSUVO) don't," Scanlan said. He said in addition to concerns about the quality of health care at veterans medical centers, there are concerns about waiting periods, which tend to be long.

Gober said the Department of Veterans Affairs always seeks to improve the quality and efficiency of the health care it delivers.

"We operate the largest health care system in the nation. We have proposed an additional $1.3 billion for 1996, which will let us treat more veterans," Gober said. As is the case in the private sector, the department is moving toward focusing on preventative care, he said.

Attempts to make the health care delivery system more efficient include consolidating and realigning services at hospitals in proximity to each other, Gober said.

Another major concern for veterans, Scanlan said, is the Gulf War Syndrome -- a set of unidentified illnesses some veterans of the Persian Gulf War in 1991 suffer from.

Gober said efforts are underway to identify the cause of the illnesses and to provide treatment.

"After the war we had around 55,000 people register that they were suffering from the illnesses. About 75 percent have been diagnosed with an identifiable illness. But there are 25 percent who we don't know what the heck is wrong with them," Gober said.

Research is being done to find the cause of the illnesses and, meanwhile, President Clinton has authorized compensation for those veterans who are suffering from the illnesses, he said.

PSUVO is facing a new concern caused by the high number of veterans seeking college educations now, many of whom have served in the armed forces for periods of 10 or more years, Scanlan said. These older veterans often have dependents to worry about, which makes housing and daycare a concern, he added.

"We have two members who are single fathers. You hear a lot about single mothers, but there is not too much geared toward single fathers," Scanlan said of the unique situations that promote the need for daycare programs.

Gober said he is not aware of any efforts by his department to help in providing daycare programs for veterans with children, but new proposals are always under consideration.

Scanlan said some of the problems facing veterans in college can be tied to inadequate funding from the GI Bill. He said as tuition levels rise, the money provided by the GI Bill becomes less adequate.

No changes are planned in the GI Bill, Gober said, and veterans will still be expected to contribute to part of their education.

Scanlan said in general he is happy with what the Clinton administration has done involving veterans affairs. He said because Clinton has been labeled "anti-military," he thinks the president has paid extra attention to addressing veterans concerns.

A representative from the University's ROTC office said there are only active duty personnel in that office and they can not comment on the responsiveness of the Clinton administration to veterans issues.