Date: 1982-09-24
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. I am pleased to support 5. 2913. which provides vitally needed adjustments in the Federal treatment of veterans in the areas of disability payments. educational. and employment assistance. It has all too often been true that the needs of our men and women who have served the Nation. who have answered the call to duty. fade from our attention after the emergency has ended. When other pressing national concerns dominate our attention. it is often forgotten that the time these men and women devoted to serving in our Armed Forces often works to their disadvantage when they return to civilian life. The time spent in serving the Nation is time not spent in furthering ones career. in succeeding in competition for Jobs in the larger society. Of even more importance. those veterans who have sacrificed not only their time. but whose physical and mental capacities have been impaired because of disabilities incurred during their period of service. find themselves at a disadvantage when they return to civilian life. It has always been recognized that it is fair and right for the Nation to provide some assistance to make up for these disadvantages. During the current period of economic difficulty. of high unemployment. of reduced opportunity. and more severe competition for jobs. the disadvantages of service have become more acute. The level of compensation for serviceconnected disability has become increasingly crucial to veterans and to the dependents and survivors of those who served. These compensation rates are an important cord In the national safety net. Thus the 7.4 percent costofliving increase provided in this bill in compensation rates for serviceconnected disability and to the dependents of severely disabled veterans. which matches the rate of increase provided to social security recipients and VA pension beneficiaries effective June 1. 1982. is a fair and needed increase. Information on available educational and employment opportunities has not always come to the attention of eligible veterans. This is particularly true for veterans who are educationally disadvantaged and for veterans who are unskilled and underemployed. The Nation is now reeling from an unemployment rate which may soon push above 10 percent. This legislation rightly expresses congressional concern about the high levels of unemployment among disabled and Vietnamera veterans. We should be concerned that more than half a million veterans age 30 and over are now unemployed. We should be concerned that Vietnamera veterans between the ages of 25 and 29 were unemployed at the rate of 16.9 percent as. of May 1982. The 685.000 unemployed Vietnamera veterans are clearly one of the hardest hit portions of our labor force. The veterans committee has determined that much of this unemployment problem is related to the military service experience of veterans of the Vietnam era. Vietnam veterans clearly have not achieved the educational and employ. ment levels of their peers who did not serve. This disadvantage in educational and occupational attainment. which VA studies have shown to be an effect of military experience in Vietnam. is a proper and urgent subject of national concern. I am pleased. therefore. that the bill provides for additional flexibility in determining extensions of eligibility for educational assistance and rehabilitation programs for Vietnamera and serviceconnected disabled veterans. S. 2913 expresses our conviction that veterans employment is a national responsibility which must be addressed by the Secretary of Labor. It makes certain needed changes in the administration and coordination of veterans employment programs among the Labor Department. the Veterans Administration. and the State directors for veterans employment. It strengthens and calls for an annual report to the Congress on the disabled veterans outreach program. I congratulate the Veterans Affairs Committee of the Senate for its careful work in addressing the problems of our veterans and ask for swift passage of this measure.. I will lend my full support to moving this bill through conference with the House of Representatives so that a final conference report may be passed into law before the Congress goes home for the elections.