Bernie Sanders vows to strengthen services for U.S. veterans if elected president

NOVEMBER 11, 2019

Excerpt:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders promised on Monday to boost healthcare services for military veterans if he is elected, putting a priority on upgrading facilities and hiring more doctors and nurses for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

To mark Monday’s U.S. Veterans Day holiday honoring those who served in the military, Sanders vowed to fill nearly 50,000 slots for doctors, nurses and other medical professionals at facilities run by Veterans Affairs during his first year in office.

Sanders also called for at least $62 billion in new funding to repair, modernize and rebuild hospitals and clinics to meet what he called the “moral obligation” of providing quality care for those who served in the military.

“We will not dismantle or privatize the VA. We will expand and improve the VA,” Sanders, a U.S. senator and a former chairman of the Senate’s Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said in a statement.

The plan would simplify the claims process so veterans are compensated more quickly and accurately, and put a priority on eliminating a backlog Sanders’ campaign said had led to waits of more than 125 days for many veterans to get a determination of their benefits.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-sanders/bernie-sanders-vows-to-strengthen-services-for-u-s-veterans-if-elected-president-idUSKBN1XL1CK