The End of the War Demands a New VA

September 2, 2010 - As of 5 PM yesterday, the United States ended all combat operation in Iraq under Operation Iraqi Freedom. Somewhere around 54,000 American troops will remain in Iraq to advise the Iraqi people as they forge ahead. This mission will be known as Operation New Dawn and these troops will be back stateside by the end of 2011.

President Obama addressed the American public and spoke to how this country will treat the 1,000,000 soldiers who have served the United States in Iraq. It is this country's responsibility to properly care for those men and women who fought on our behalf. He considers it a "moral obligation to uphold."

President Obama then spoke to the efforts his administration has made to improve veteran health care and policy. President Obama focused on developing a "21^st century VA," which includes:  

• Updating VA hospitals for improved health care;
• Improving care for female veterans;
• Developing electronic health records;
• Clearing disability claims backlogs;
• Developing paperless disability claims systems;
• Adding Wounded Warrior facilities to the Department of Defense (DoD);
• Updating care for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).

There are an increased amount of assets being put toward screening, diagnosing, and treating veterans with service-related injuries such as PTSD and TBI. There will be new resources used to help veterans with occupational training and job placement. A Presidential directive was issued ordering more veterans, to include disabled veterans, be hired into the federal government.

The war is over. Now the focus of this country must be on those soldiers returning back to the States. The VA system is going to have to change significantly over the next couple of years in order to adapt to this new generation of soldiers.