As a nation, we have a moral obligation to provide the best quality care to those who have put their lives on the line to defend us. As a war-injured and retired 18-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Ike McCorkle knows you never leave a fellow servicemember behind — on the battlefield or at home.
We need to:
- Expand the VA Caregivers Program to care for spouses and children who have to rebuild lives after the loss of a loved one.
- Provide care for hundreds of thousands of veterans with amputations, loss of eyesight, PTSD or traumatic brain injury.
- End the terrible tragedy of veterans committing suicide.
- Fully fund and expand the VA so every veteran gets the care he or she has earned and deserves.
- End unacceptable wait times at many VA medical facilities.
- Increase the number of doctors and nurses for the surging number of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
- Provide complete COVID-19 services, including testing, tracking, and care.
- Substantially improve the processing of Veterans’ claims for compensation.
- Make comprehensive dental care available to all veterans at the VA.
- End the travesty of veterans’ homelessness.
- Fully restore cuts to military pensions made by Republicans in the last budget deal.
- Help veterans get and maintain good-paying jobs.
As we transition into a universal healthcare system that ensures lower costs and higher-quality healthcare for all Americans, we need to revitalize and restructure the VA to provide veteran-specific programs and specialties, and the opportunity to see any healthcare provider they choose.