Our veterans are the reason we are able to enjoy the freedoms we have on Guam and across America. Their sacrifice and honor has allowed us to prevail over all our enemies, both foreign and domestic. We can never forget all the sacrifices made so that we can enjoy the quality of life that we have now. We owe so much to our veterans.
My faith in our veterans is total and my commitment to them is complete. The debt that is owed to the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our freedoms is one that can never fully be repaid. Our veterans deserve not only the respect of their country, but the best medical care and other services available.
As your Congressman, I will work to ensure adequate funding for a regional Veterans Hospital based on Guam, more efficient Veterans Affairs claims processing, oppose TRICARE fee and premium increases on families and retirees, and fight to ensure returning veterans have opportunities to work and continue to contribute to our communities. It is important to minimize the impact on programs that our service members, retirees and veterans rely on.
5 POINT PLAN FOR VETERANS ISSUES
As your Congressman, William D. Castro will:
1. Expand the access to more-and-better quality healthcare. The current Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) is not capable of accommodating veterans from Guam (27,000+) and in the region. There is a need for more and varied specialists especially as the Naval Hospital provides very limited services for veterans. Increase the current CBOC medical staff (2 primary doctors, 1 Mental Health Provider, 1 Nurse). It is important to note that the foregoing is a stepping stone on the way to the ultimate goal… the establishment of a Veterans Hospital for Guam, The Marianas and Micronesia.
2. Vigorously support and implement provisions in The Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019. One of my top priorities will be to address veteran suicide by improving mental health care for veterans. This Act is a comprehensive and aggressive strategy to reach more veterans with the mental health care they need. Sadly, an estimated 20 veterans die by suicide each day. The Act works to expand access to mental health care for veterans by strategically reaching veterans in hard-to-reach places like Guam and providing our veterans with alternative and innovative treatments.
- 20 veterans die by suicide daily. Of those, 14 are not receiving VA health care.
- Suicide among veterans continues to be higher than the rest of the population
- Younger veterans are particularly at risk. (veterans ages 18 to 34)
- In the Act, every service member would be enrolled into VA mental health care for one year when they transition from active duty
3. Greatly improve the inefficient processing of claims. The current processing of disability and compensation claims needs significant improvement. Current claims are sent to Hawaii for processing and any discrepancy results in a delay in providing benefits and delivering services. I will establish a regional center to receive, consolidate and forward all claims for efficient processing.
4. At a minimum, one congressional staff member will be dedicated to general Veterans’ issues and another staff member for Women Veterans and Spouses of Veterans. These individuals will be involved with veterans’ issues primarily and not as a secondary or additional duty. As a Senator, I established one legislative office staff member (a veteran) to dedicate her time and energy specifically to veterans’ issues and the results have been noteworthy.
5. Establish a Marianas Veterans Database to ensure all of our veterans are accounted for. This database will be created on an interoperable platform for sharing all relevant data across Guam, the region and with the Veterans Affairs Department. I will secure Congressional and other federal resources for project initiation, defining initial requirements, initiating the design phase and beginning operational tests and evaluations.