By KYLE ODEGARD
Gazette-Times reporter | Posted: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 12:00 am
PHILOMATH - Oregon's newly formed Task Force on Veterans Services held a forum at the Benton County Historical Museum on Tuesday night, and at times members faced a barrage of questions - but those could serve as ammunition to make big changes next year.
"I get calls all the time from veterans, saying, 'I've been waiting for a year. What can I do to get some help?'," said Roy Poppleton of Albany, who served in the Navy during the Korean War, and has held leadership positions in the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Some vets complained they had trouble getting medical benefits, while another said there was no walk-in service at veterans clinics in case of an emergency - an appointment was necessary.
While there's a van service to take former soldiers to the Portland VA Medical Center, some vehicles can't transport vets in wheelchairs, Poppleton said.
Task force members acknowledged problems with the system, but also gave specific instructions on how some attendees or other veterans could qualify for benefits.
Gov. Ted Kulongoski formed the 27-member task force in March, and its goal is to name about five major priorities to the 2009 Oregon Legislature for action. Members also aim to identify five federal
veterans service problems.
This summer, task force members are making a whirlwind tour of the state. Philomath was the fifth of 17 meetings planned in June and July, and more could be held in August, said Tom Mann, public information manager for the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs and a task force member.
"I'd like to think we'll get something out of it besides apologies, but we haven't got any solutions yet," said Walt Allegar of Dallas, who flew helicopters for the Army in Vietnam "and a lot of other places." He's trying to get his wife better medical care through his veteran's benefits.
"I think it was a good meeting," said Keith Perkins of Philomath, who served in the Navy. "People's problems, you don't hear about it all the time, because veterans keep a lot of things to themselves."
About 25 people attended the Philomath meeting.
The loss of county timber payments will impact county veterans service offices, Mann said, but veterans will continue to have strong local advocates, he said.
Task force members also talked about the differences of the current war in the Middle East. This conflict is like no other in history because there are 182,000 women soldiers - often females are on the front lines - and that poses a new set of issues for veterans benefits.
There also is a higher rate of traumatic brain injuries as well as post-traumatic stress disorder from Iraq and Afghanistan than in previous wars, said Paul Evans, a military and veterans policy adviser for the governor. He added that the amount of violence soldiers are seeing is up, because fewer are in support services, which today are provided by contractors.
Letting spouses and families know about military benefits is key, task force members said.
While veterans agencies are actively seeking to help soldiers returning from overseas, older veterans may need to reach out themselves for help.
Oregon currently has about 360,000 veterans. Nearly 6,500 are in Benton County, while Linn County has about 11,700.
Kyle Odegard can be contacted at kyle.odegard@lee.net or 758-9523.