NUMBERS TO KNOW

Recent editorials from Louisiana newspapers:

The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La., on Army National Guardsmen’s death:

We’re gratified, but not surprised, by the huge outpouring of support for four Louisiana National Guardsmen who died earlier this month in a helicopter crash during training near Pensacola, Florida. The men worked at the l-244th Assault Helicopter Battalion in Hammond.

Gone are the days when National Guard personnel were nicknamed weekend warriors. For at least a generation, in response to military engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon has come to heavily rely on National Guard units as a regular presence in conflicts abroad. The Hammond-based battalion’s service in combat missions overseas, as well as in rescue operations after hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Isaac, is a testament to the commitment that National Guard service often requires.

The four National Guardsmen who died in Florida paid the ultimate price for their country. Our hearts and prayers are with their loved ones.

American Press, Lake Charles, La., on fixing problems with Veterans Choice Program health care plan:

Delivering timely health care for veterans has been a struggle for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and a recent report by the Veterans of Foreign Wars indicates that the system needs much more work.

The VFW recently delivered to Congress “its initial report on the implementation of the new Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Choice Program. The report is based on a survey of more than 2,500 VFW members over the first three months of the Veterans Choice Program, which VA launched on November 5, 2014,” reads a March 3 news release issued by the VFW.

“It is important that veterans have the opportunity to make informed health care decisions that best fit their own individual circumstances,” VFW National Commander John W. Stroud said in the news release.

“The Veterans Choice Program is an ambitious initiative that is supposed to offer more options to veterans who need it, which is why the VFW has an obligation to keep our pulse on the veterans’ community to ensure the program works.”

According to the VFW survey, the news release said, there are “problems among many veterans who believed they were eligible for the Choice Program due to their geographic distance from a VA facility.”

The VFW is now working closely with VA and the third party administrators responsible for the implementation of the Choice Program to help resolve the issues.

Our veterans delivered with their time, courage and blood for the U.S.A. when needed. Now the nation must deliver.