Chris Dodd for President

Senator Dodd has a guest post on VetVoice, a blog by VoteVets.org that launched today. The post is on Dodd's veterans policy. Go read it at VetVoice.com.

You can also read Dodd's post, titled "A Contract Honored: My Veterans Policy," by clicking Read More below.

A Contract Honored: My Veterans Policy
by Senator Chris Dodd

I'd like to thank VetVoice for inviting me to contribute.  VoteVets has been a strong contributor to our political discourse on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and how we respect our veterans once they return. I look forward to America's veterans having this new platform to shape this important national discussion.

In my 30-plus years in Congress, one truth has become self-evident: We have no higher priority than the safety and well-being of America's veterans.  For all you have given us, you deserve nothing less than the very best from those elected to represent you.  You have sacrificed and given so much.  The least we can do in return is get results.

Today, our troops returning home are not getting the medical support they need and deserve.  Bureaucratic red-tape and substandard conditions at medical facilities hinder access to health and veterans benefits. Combat-wounded troops are increasingly relying on help from loved ones as they recuperate from devastating war injuries.  And military families are making unbelievable sacrifices - often seeing their loved ones' tours of duty extended again and again and having to care for them when they return.

That is not my America - and it is not how we treat those who have given so much to this great country of ours.  

That is why the very first step I will take as President is to overhaul the Disability and Compensation Systems.  

First, disability determinations will be made by an independent board within the VA, within 30 days, with benefits starting no more than two weeks later.

Second, disability ratings will reflect injuries related to PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury - which we are seeing increasingly in troops returning from Iraq.

Third, veterans will be able to see private doctors if they do not live near a VA.  

And fourth, the VA will never be under funded again.  In a Dodd Administration, all service will be recognized and all veterans from all wars will get the care and benefits that they deserve.  

To provide input and oversight of how the government serves veterans, I will appoint a bipartisan Veteran's Advisory Panel comprised not of bureaucrats but veterans, military retirees and veterans' spouses across multiple generations. Findings and recommendations will be reported to Congress and the Executive Branch on an annual basis - and they will be acted upon.

But as any combat hero knows, when a soldier is injured, a family sacrifices.  I wrote the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which allows 12 weeks of leave during a time of need.  As President, I will extend FMLA to as much as 6 months for men and women who want to care for family members who were wounded wearing the uniform.  

I was proud to wear the uniform in the National Guard and Army Reserve - I know what it's like to serve along side patriotic young Americans.  That's why I've dedicated much of my career to working on behalf of veterans, from those suffering from Persian Gulf War illnesses, to pension benefits, to providing disability benefits to veterans exposed to radiation or toxic chemicals while in the service.  It's rooted in a simple adage: "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  

With a President who can get results for a change, as I have for my career, those won't just be words - they will be promises kept to our nation's veterans.  A Contract honored.  

Congratulations once again to VetVoice for their launch and thank you for providing me the space to contribute to the start of a promising - and important - discussion. You can learn much more about my plan for veterans and the military at ChrisDodd.com/veterans.