Dear Editor,
I was just notified that "The Department of Veterans Affairs will send out more than $430,000 in stipend payments to nearly 200 Family Caregivers of Veterans in July."
Upon further investigation, I determined that these payments were authorized by Congress under the "Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010" and further under the "Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers."
Unfortunately, these benefits are only granted to veterans disabled after 9/11.
This is just another example of how this country has ignored the needs of Vietnam and other early service veterans.
There are over 2,000 veterans in the Cookeville locality, and many of them have families who could use a break for having to care for their loved ones.
Regards,
Bill Arrott, Jr.
Founder & Webmaster
Cookeville Chapter 117