The War at Home

(This article appeared in the November/December 2012 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)   

Sue Carney, Director Human Relations Dept.

Burn Pits

The War Has Followed Them Home

Pollutants from open-air burn pits, fires and clean-up operations are believed to be causing serious health problems for our military men and women. At least 1,000 troops and veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have mysteriously fallen ill. Their otherwise inexplicable conditions are wide-ranging and include rashes, joint pain, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cancers.

On Sept. 12, the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee approved legislation to help broaden the understanding of these noxious, warzone dangers and to help suffering veterans. The committee unanimously passed the Mental Health ACCESS Act of 2012, (S. 3340) an omnibus bill that incorporated the Open Burn Registry Act (S. 1798). A similar bill was also introduced in the House (H.R. 3337).

If the bill becomes law, it would create a national registry of service members and veterans impacted by open-air burn pits, helping to identify and take better care of those affected. The bill would also help the VA determine to what extent airborne toxins led to medical diseases among service members. The measure includes provisions for a campaign to inform individuals about the registry and periodically notify its members of significant developments associated with burn-pit exposure. The bill would also require an independent, scientific organization to submit a report to Congress no later than 24 months after the establishment of the registry and again five years after the publication of the initial report to track the progress of the registry and its effect on service members.

Veterans’ Homelessness

You Can Help

No one who served our country should ever be left to live on the street, but every year an estimated 400,000 veterans experience homelessness.

For the past five years, the APWU has given a hand up to veterans in need through the Winterhaven Stand Down, sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). But veterans’ homelessness also requires local attention, which is why we are asking for assistance from our state and local organizations on two fronts.

We are asking each organization to donate 50 cents per member to our “Support Our Troop and Veterans” program. This will allow us to continue distributing new backpacks filled with food, hygiene products, survival gear and warm clothing to our homeless heroes at the annual event. To tackle this issue at the local level, we are calling on locals and states to donate similar items (nothing used) to veterans in their area. Arrangements to issue the donated items can be coordinated through a VA Local Homeless Coordinator. Coordinators can be found on the Initiatives page at www.va.gov/homeless.

The VA has made the elimination of veterans’ homelessness a top priority. With its “no wrong door” philosophy, the VA is working to ensure homeless and at-risk veterans have access to appropriate programs and services. You can help the initiative succeed by sharing outreach materials with friends, family and co-workers. These materials can be obtained from the VA Homeless Download Center by visiting www.va.gov/homeless/materials_center.asp.

Finally, if you encounter veterans who may need a helping hand, take a minute to talk to them; let them know you care, you appreciate their service, and that there are benefits that they earned that they should be taking advantage of. Give them a VA National Call Center wallet card and encourage them to call (877) 4AID-VET to obtain help with housing, jobs, health care, education and other benefits.