Category: Carlene Olsen
Wounded Warriors Caught in Medical Bureaucracy
DISABILITY
Bangor Daily News
Carlene Olsen
Boston University Washington News Service
4/25/07
WASHINGTON, April 25– Service Officer Rene Deschene advises military men and women with amputated limbs, post traumatic stress and injuries invisible to the naked eye in the Veterans of Foreign Wars office at the Togus VA Medical Center in Augusta.
Soldiers returning from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan are common clients in his office as are those who served in Vietnam more than 30 years ago. But these men and women do not come to see Deschene to discuss their ailments or mental flashbacks.
Patients turn to him for guidance through a system that can seem as complex and daunting to newcomers as the first day of boot camp – the bureaucracy of military health care. Many who pay Deschene a visit are in the midst of medical and physical evaluations required to receive disability ratings for service compensation.
Disability ratings—on a zero to 100 percent scale—are assigned to wounded service members. The ratings determine whether members get medical retirement and what disability payments they will receive after they are discharged from military medical care.
The Department of Veterans Affairs uses the rating system to determine for each veteran what service related health issues will be covered by its facilities. Though VA facilities use the same guidelines that are used by military facilities to determine an individual’s overall rating, the measures can vary drastically between the two systems.
Rating discrepancies between military and VA facilities occur because of the differing focus each places on medical and physical evaluations, officials from the VA and Department of Defense said.
Inside the Medical Bureaucracy
Sgt. 1st Class Brian Levensailor, an outpatient at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington from Guilford, Maine, started his disability rating process in early March after several months of medical care at the facility and said he has yet to receive his initial claim recommendation.
Levensailor, who has been in the military for 24 years and served in Afghanistan, shows few signs of physical injuries upon first glance. He said he hopes to receive a Pentagon rating above 30 percent enabling him to take medical retirement, though he fears he may receive one much lower. Soldiers rated below 30 percent, who choose not to appeal, receive severance compensation without additional benefits.
“I’ve been told my injuries are degenerative in nature because I have arthritis now [from previous war injuries in Afghanistan],” Levensailor said. “The Army doesn’t seem to care that I have arthritis from aging in the service – not just from aging.”
The Department of Defense determines if a person is fit or unfit for military duty according to his or her physical and mental health and assigns a rating based on that standard. The VA evaluates the well being of the person regardless of his or her ability to continue military service, taking into account even minor health concerns, which often results in a higher rating estimate.
Soldiers can appeal their rating but risk receiving a lower score. Rating changes often occur when new medical records are brought before the board, Col. Andy Buchanan, U.S. Army deputy commanding officer of the Physical Disability Agency at Walter Reed said. If a rating is lowered it may be the result of a recent evaluation where the individual performed better than he or she had on the same exam in the past, he said.
“Rather than the government doing what is in the best interest of the soldier and determining what is going to yield the best outcome, the medical care does a disservice,” Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) said in a phone interview.
Because of the influx of returning wounded Iraqi war vets, older Vietnam pension claims are backlogged.
“We have made [Operation Iraqi Freedom] claims a priority within the VA process because those returning from combat have a significant need for a rating,” said James Whitson, director of VA benefits for 16 New England regional offices, including Togus.
Currently, those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan represent 8 to 10 percent of pending VA disability claims, Whitson said.
“The older vets are being pushed behind for treatment now that the [Iraq] service members are coming home,” Deschene said.
Soldier Advocates
Deschene and other service officers from veterans’ organizations throughout the state serve as resources for soldiers receiving VA medical care at Togus. But those awaiting disability ratings at military hospitals, such as Walter Reed, lack a strong network of on-site soldier advocates, according to critics of the system.
At Togus service officers, such as Deschene, are paid by their affiliate veteran’s organization, not the hospital.
“The department service officer is the only person legally able to represent a veteran and present a [disability] claim to the VA,” said James Bachelder, senior vice commander of the Maine Veterans of Foreign Wars. “They go through much training to do so.”
Without soldier advocates to advise them, some service members in military care are unaware of the various options for their service pay and what might be most beneficial to them, making the transition into VA care and civilian life increasingly difficult.
Although soldiers in military facilities are assigned case managers by the Department of Defense for help with medical appointments and care, most case managers lack in-depth knowledge of the disability rating system. Some soldiers settle on disability claims unaware of other options because they lack guidance, Levensailor said.
Disability Evaluations
Medical injuries and illness deeply rooted in a soldier’s past can affect medical and physical service evaluations in military and VA facilities, Buchanan of Walter Reed said.
But some soldiers interpret low ratings given for various reasons as the Army’s attempt to save money.
“The ultimate goal seems to be to put everybody out that [the military] can without medically retiring them,” Levensailor said. “Medical retirees’ pay comes out of the Army budget, so if soldiers are pushed out onto VA, then they receive VA compensation out of the VA budget.”
Buchanan said the Physical Evaluation Board follows strict guidelines used by all military service branches to ensure each soldier is accurately and fairly assessed.
Two-thirds of the service members evaluated by the Department of Defense have muscular and skeletal injuries that often result in a disability rating below 30 percent based on their determined fitness for duty, Buchanan said.
According to data from the Physical Evaluation Board, on average, 20 percent of evaluated soldiers received disability ratings each fiscal year that made them eligible for medical retirement.
“We are stringent about treating everybody fairly and equally,” Buchanan said. “A bullet doesn’t discriminate, so we don’t want to discriminate between injuries.”
Legislation
The Wounded Warrior Act, introduced in March and currently under consideration in the Senate, would address many of the concerns raised by soldiers in military care, Snowe said.
Under the act, stricter routine inspections in military facilities would be enforced and additional services would be available to those in care, easing the transition into VA services.
“There are no advocates for the soldiers and I think that is a very important assessment we need to act upon,” Snowe said.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said in a phone interview that providing additional resources for soldiers in these facilities rivals the urgency of increasing hospital staff.
“Waiting times [for disability ratings] are far too long,” Collins said.
The Next Step
Changes to the medical system are underway and the processing time for disability claims has improved in the past few months, though the quality of medical care remains consistent, Buchanan said.
The Army released a pocket booklet the last week of April outlining the disability rating process, which will be distributed to service members at Walter Reed and military facilities throughout the country, he said. The booklet serves as a reference point for soldiers at various stages of the rating process.
Buchanan also said Physical Evaluation Board members from each service branch are expected to convene at the beginning of May to determine why the number of Army medical retirees is lower than that in other service branches when the same rating schedule is used to evaluate disability claims.
“All but two of my physicians on the Physical Evaluation Board [who assess soldiers for disability claims] are retired military,” Buchanan said. “They understand where these guys are coming from and they treat all equally in their evaluations.”
Collins, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said there is a lot of work underway at the Pentagon and in Congress to assess the disability rating system and reform military health care.
“I am very concerned that transition between the military healthcare system and the VA system is a confusing bureaucracy for far too many injured veterans,” Collins said. “That really troubles me.”
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Maine Native Shares Glimpse of Military Care
SOLDIER
Bangor Daily News
Carlene Olsen
Boston University Washington News Service
4/05/07
WASHINGTON, April 5 – Army Sgt. 1st Class Brian Levensailor’s new iMac computer remains untouched next to the older PC model on his desk, which features a slideshow of combat photos rotating across its screen.
“I don’t know how to use these things,” Levensailor, a native of Guilford, Maine, says as he points to the sleek, white monitor sporting the apple logo. “But they put one in every room.”
Upon first glance, Levensailor’s living space at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington could be mistaken for an orderly, college dorm room outfitted with a kitchenette, couch and flat screen TV. A Miami Dolphins blanket covers his twin bed and a model tank rests on the nearby desk.
But Levensailor, 44, is no college student: Just one month ago, he lived amidst mousetraps and mildew in Building 18, the hospital’s infamous, now-closed outpatient ward.
“Yes, there were mousetraps on the floors [of the room], but when you’re used to living in tents in combat zones you’ve seen much worse,” Levensailor says of his former residence..
Levensailor, a member of the Maine Army National Guard, lived in Building 18 for three months before a series of articles in The Washington Post revealed the ward’s poor living conditions, causing him to relocate. When the patients in the building were moved, their new rooms were outfitted with flat screen TVs and the Mac computers. But the conditions in Building 18 were just a minor detail of a larger problem, Levensailor says.
When combat wounds both mental and physical cut Levensailor’s 24 years of military service short, his battle with the health care system had just begun. After a year and a half in military care, Levensailor has yet to receive a disability rating for his service. A disability rating is a measure the Pentagon assigns to wounded veterans after they are discharged from medical care that affects how much disability payment they receive.
“I don’t want to leave here with nothing,” he says from his room at Walter Reed. “We served our country and now we have to fight the Army system to defend our rights; it’s just not fair.”
Living the Dream
Levensailor, born June 18, 1962, wanted to be a soldier for as long as he can remember. As a child, he played with model tanks and watched clips of the Vietnam War on the evening news in Guilford.
“Some boys will build model airplanes,” Mary Owens, Levensailor’s mother, said in a telephone interview from her home in Chesapeake, Va. “Brian built tanks and Army equipment models and used hundreds of Army men to do strategies.”
Military fever runs in Levensailor’s family. His grandfather, biological father and step-father were war veterans.
“I cannot remember wanting to be anything other than be a soldier,” Levensailor says dressed in camouflage. “All my life, that’s the only thing I’ve wanted to do.”
When Levensailor met the woman of his dreams during high school in Guilford, Merrilee Mitchell knew marriage meant life as a soldier’s wife. Two years after high school, in July of 1982, the couple said “I do” at an Army base in Germany
“You have to learn to survive on your own,” Merrilee Levensailor said. “You have to be strong yourself and be able to do everything because you know he’s not going to be around that much.”
Merrilee Levensailor and the couple’s daughters, Nicole, 21, and Vanessa, 19, have not seen Levensailor in more than 15 months. The family cannot spare the time or funds needed to make the trip from their home in Guilford to Washington.
“We do communicate by phone and Internet, but it’s hard,” Merrilee Levensailor said. “The girls would say, ‘we always knew we had you, mom,’ even if they wondered where their father was.”
Military Life
Levensailor joined the Army in 1981, fresh out of high school. He then spent 13 years on active duty where he worked on M-60 tanks and served three tours of duty in Germany.
In 1993 Levensailor got caught in the post-Cold War “draw down,” the federal government’s attempt to cut military spending and reduce the Army by two-thirds.
“We had the option to take voluntary separation [from the Army] or wait a year and get kicked out,” he says. “You chose to take separation because at least you get the severance package, but it wasn’t really a choice.”
Levensailor then joined the 181st Air Traffic Control Detachment Unit of the Maine Army National Guard on Jan. 1, 1994, where one of his jobs included a security stint at the Bangor International Airport.
In May of 2003, Levensailor’s unit received a mobilization order – an instant ticket to Kandahar, Afghanistan.
“When I stepped out of the plane [in Kandahar] I thought I was walking into the exhaust, but it was just the hot air outside,” Levensailor says with closed eyes. “We were later told temperatures at the base reached 128 degrees that day.”
First Sgt. Steven Craig led Levensailor’s squad unit in Afghanistan and knew him previously from their time in the Maine National Guard.
“Levensailor was a super troop,” Craig said. “He was all soldier.”
But rocket attacks and lifting heavy equipment in Kandahar left Levensailor with physical and mental scars.
Injuries
“The [rocket] attacks would always come when the air was heavy with dust,” Levensailor said. “We could never see it coming.”
In one rocket attack he was injured, adding to the injuries sustained when a beam fell on him during construction of a bunker. His mother said he has some brain damage from the attacks.
“People look at him and think nothing is wrong because he’s not missing a limb, but there are neurological things going on,” Owens said. “It’s very frustrating.”
In Afghanistan, Levensailor had to be instructed to seek medical attention because he was determined to work despite his injuries.
“He always put the other troops ahead of his own personal needs,” Craig said.
Levensailor said he suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, known as PTSD for short, memory loss and poor balance in addition to back, shoulder and leg injuries.
“Brian’s frustration level is very close to the surface,” Owens said. “Part of it is PTSD and part of it is the run around he gets on a weekly and monthly basis” at Walter Reed.
Medical Care
Levensailor’s unit left Afghanistan Nov. 28, 2003, enabling him to spend Christmas with his family. Then the medical battle began.
Levensailor spent a year receiving medical care at the Togus VA Medical Center in Augusta before he was mobilized to Fort Irwin in California in December of 2004, where he worked at a museum on the military base.
After a year and half at Fort Irwin, Levensailor was put on medical hold for six months because of pain from previous injuries. He was then told he needed to transfer to Walter Reed for care since he was a member of the National Guard, which the base hospital does not service.
“The Army rarely lies; they just don’t tell you the whole truth,” Levensailor says of his medical delays.
Levensailor arrived at Walter Reed and moved into Building 18 on Pearl Harbor Day—Dec. 7—of last year.
“The room wasn’t all that bad,” Levensailor says, “We’re all soldiers; we’re used to living in much worse conditions.”
Now, regular inspections are performed at the outpatient facility to monitor room conditions.
“Right now everything is under the microscope,” Levensailor says as an inspector enters his room, opens each cabinet drawer, checks the stove burners and asks if there are any additional concerns.
Beyond Walter Reed
“It was a rough day for me to realize I could not keep being a soldier without being a burden on other people,” Levensailor said. “I’ve been a soldier my whole life.”
Levensailor’s physical and mental limitations make finding what he calls a “civilian job” difficult. But Levesailor is still waiting for his disability rating, which can be a long and ongoing process.
Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) visited Levensailor at Walter Reed in early March and said his experiences helped her evaluate the medical bureaucracy that exists within military facilities.
“Brian said there were no advocates for the soldiers and we need to really act upon that,” Snowe said in a phone interview. “It’s disgraceful to hear that the overwhelming, but complex [disability rating] process is a means by which to deny those serving our county the benefits the government promised them.”
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University Researchers Showcase Technology Projects
TECH
Bangor Daily News
Carlene Olsen
Boston University Washington News Service
3/21/07
WASHINGTON, March 21 – University of Maine researchers showcased 10 key technology projects at a forum on Capitol Hill Wednesday in hopes of receiving additional funding from Congress.
“All these projects have a tremendous importance for economic development in the state,” University of Maine President Robert Kennedy said. “Most have federal support … but we’re hoping additional support will be obtained.”
Projects ranging from forest and marine research initiatives to state mapping efforts were on display at the 7th annual forum.
“It’s eye opening to see how the university stretches across so many different realms,” said Molly Feeney, a third-year student at the university and congressional intern who attended the forum.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) expressed her support for the research projects at the university, especially efforts by the Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center.
The forum also featured programs that could benefit the military.
Larry Parent, program manager of the center, said working on a blast-proof shield that can be inserted into military tents for added protection is a key project at the center. Additional initiatives include developing materials that would increase the strength of wood when added to its exterior.
“The material makes wood have steel-like qualities,” Parent said. “It can be used to build Army troop housing that provides blast protection and it may also increase hurricane resistance in [residential] homes.”
Collins said projects at the center also would help increase port security.
“We have some 11 million cargo containers coming in to our seaport each year and making sure that the containers that they are in are tamper proof and can be tracked en route is a major challenge for us,” Collins said. “That kind of research in the advanced wood composites lab is exactly what we need.”
Researchers from the state Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station displayed a number of state crop initiatives, including a new breed of potato that has a strong resistance to disease.
Jake Ward, assistant vice president of the university, said the $397 million bond proposal introduced by Gov. John Baldacci Monday, offers increased funding for research initiatives at the university.
“There is a sizable portion [of funds] for University of Maine research in the new bond package,” Ward said. “State support is important as well as federal support.”
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Collins Supports Increased Funding for Alzheimer’s Research
AGING
Bangor Daily News
Carlene Olsen
Boston University Washington News Service
3/20/07
WASHINGTON, March 20 – Sen. Susan Collins announced her support Tuesday for legislation that would double Alzheimer’s disease research funds and ease medical costs for families.
“It’s an agonizing experience to look into the eyes of a loved one and to receive only a confused look in return,” Collins said at a subcommittee hearing on retirement and aging.. “A strong and sustained research effort is our best tool to slow the progression… of this heart-breaking disease.”
As of this year, 5 million Americans reportedly have Alzheimer’s, more than double the number diagnosed in 1980, according to data released Tuesday by the Alzheimer’s Association.
“Maine has the fourth-oldest population in this country, and thus [Alzheimer’s research] is a particular challenge for our state,” Collins said in an interview.
In Maine about 30,000 people have the disease, 25,000 of whom are over the age of 65, said Liz Weaver, program director of the state Alzheimer’s Association.
“Age is the biggest risk factor; however, we are seeing younger people with the disease as well,” Weaver said.
Alzheimer’s accounts for 50 to 70 percent of all diagnosed forms of dementia, Weaver said, adding that in most cases there is at least one person providing care for the affected person.
“About 70 percent of the people with Alzheimer’s are still in the community and 70 percent of their care is provided by families,” she said.
The proposed Alzheimer’s legislation would provide families a tax credit of up to $3,000 a year to meet the costs of medical care, in addition to increased research funds.
“The legislation would help provide research, which we hope will lead to a delay in the onset [of the disease],” Collins said. “This would save a considerable amount of money, not to mention suffering.”
Samuel Gandy, chairman of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Council, said at the hearing that increased funding is needed to keep research initiatives strong.
Gandy said a lack of funding leads many young researchers to look for jobs in other medical fields. “We are losing a generation of scientists,” he said.
There are several Alzheimer’s support groups throughout the state for family members of those affected by the disease.
“The most difficult aspect,” Weaver said, “is that there are waiting lists to help [families] pay if they are not able to pay privately. And in some parts of the state there are not enough people to provide in-home care.”
The proposed legislation would increase disease research funding to $1.3 billion, Collins said.
“We’re not close to a cure right now, but the only way we’re going to get there is through biomedical research,” Collins said.
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Baldacci Works to Close Achievement Gap in High Schools
ACHIEVEMENT
Bangor Daily News
By Carlene Olsen
Boston University Washington News Service
3/9/07
WASHINGTON, March 9 – Gov. John Baldacci told in an education conference Friday that state initiatives to improve student graduation rates are succeeding, but continuous support is needed to close the achievement gap.
Baldacci, chairman of Jobs for America’s Graduates, which co-hosted the conference with the National Urban League, joined education advocates and legislators to discuss methods for improving graduation and employment rates among at-risk black men.
“We believe there is a comprehensive approach to a solution… and that is all of us working together,” Baldacci said at the event. “We cannot have any hands idle.”
Although Maine does not have a high percentage of minority students, the state’s diversity rate is growing and no students should be left behind, the governor said in an interview.
“In a knowledge-based economy where people are the most important resource, we cannot afford to have our kids sitting by idly,” he said.
Black students in the Jobs for America’s Graduates achievement program have above-average graduation rates in stark contrast to those who are not participating in the program that provides guidance and training for at-risk students, said Ken Smith, president of the organization.
On average, 90 percent of students in the program graduate from high school, including 94 percent of enrolled black men, Smith said.
“Most of these young people really do want to do the right thing,” he said. “We’re reversing the numbers.”
In Maine, addressing at-risk students in rural areas is a focus of the state’s Jobs for Graduates program. Maine’s program has been recognized as one of the most successful branches of the organization’s 30-state network, Baldacci said.
“There are a lot of similarities between rural America and urban America,” he added.
The state program reaches at-risk students in 50 communities, offering youths the support needed to graduate from high school and pursue career goals.
Baldacci said Maine’s Jobs for Graduates program is a success because it enables educators to reach out to students who need help most and ignite their desire to learn.
“I saw the engagement of the students [in the program] and the enthusiasm they had for education, knowing that these were kids who wouldn’t be in school otherwise,” Baldacci said. “It’s a program that works.”
Baldacci attended the education conference after visiting the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, where Army Sgt., Brian Levensailor, who is from Guilford, Maine, is a patient.
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Congress Dishes Meager Pork Rations, According to Latest Pig Book
WASTE
Bangor Daily News
Carlene Olsen
Boston University Washington News Service
3/7/07
WASHINGTON, March 7 – In Congress, pork-barrel spending is down as members have brought home the least amount of bacon since 1999 in the form of special government spending projects this year, according to a report released Wednesday.
The 2007 Congressional Pig Book, compiled by Citizens Against Government Waste, a non-profit, non-partisan organization, deems government spending that is not specifically authorized or requested as pork.
Pork-barrel spending totaled $13.2 billion this year, down from $29 billion in 2006, for projects that include improving vegetable shelf life, researching extra-terrestrial intelligence and combating obesity in the military.
But unlike previous annual reports, this year’s was confined to the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security. Spending bills for those two departments were the only ones Congress passed last year. Money for all other agencies and programs were included in one “omnibus” spending bill enacted this year after congressional leaders imposed a moratorium on earmarks, or money included in the budget inappropriately, according to Citizens Against Government Waste.
At a news conference, Tom Schatz, president of the organization, called pork-barrel projects the “gateway drug to wasteful spending” and said such funds should be stopped
Defense pork spending totaled $10.8 billion and Homeland Security pork totaled $2.4 billion in 2007, according to the organization.
“It’s not clear why all this money is flowing through the Department of Defense for all this research,” said Schatz, who sported a pig tie.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a long-time advocate of earmark reform, said at the news conference that though President Bush is now committed to cut back such spending, there is a long way to go.
“I don’t think the Republican Party lost the election because of the war in Iraq,” McCain said. “I think the Republican Party lost the last election because of our failure to control spending and the earmarking, which then led to corruption.”
Democratic Rep. Michael Michaud of the 2nd District said in a statement that pork spending “grew out of control” under the previous leadership, though some federal spending projects benefit the state.
“The creation of the Army Center of Excellence at the University of Maine in Orono is a real success story,” he said. “Through federal investment, research efforts at the Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center have produced a product that will be used to protect our troops in the field by up-armoring tents.”
Pork projects in Maine totaled $37.8 million in 2006, averaging $28.57 per capita, below the national average of $30.55. This year, the report did not offer a state by state breakdown because many of the projects were not area-specific, a spokesman for Citizens Against Government Waste said.
“I will continue to fight against government waste and to make sure that our tax dollars are spent wisely,” Michaud said. “At the same time, I will also continue to advocate for appropriate federal investments in high-priority needs in Maine.”
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Collins Questions Conditions at Walter Reed
COLLINS
Bangor Daily News
Carlene Olsen
Boston University Washington News Service
3/6/07
WASHINGTON, March 6 – Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and other members of the Senate questioned military officials Tuesday about the medical conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here and veterans’ hospitals nationwide.
“We’re facing far greater problems than just the physical conditions at Walter Reed,” Collins said at an Armed Services Committee hearing.
The substandard outpatient conditions at Walter Reed, first revealed by Washington Post reporters, led members of Congress to question patient care at military and Veterans Affairs Department hospitals across the country.
A letter Collins received from a soldier’s mother in Portland described conditions at a military hospital in Fort Hood, Texas, similar to those at Walter Reed.
“The fear of retribution was constantly with us,” reads the letter provided by Collins. “The one time I asked my family group leader for assistance my son received a terrible tongue lashing for telling me what was going on.”
Collins recently visited Walter Reed and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and said inpatient care conditions at both facilities were excellent. “The system seems to break down when they become outpatients,” she said in an interview.
Collins also said patient care is sufficient at the Togus Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Augusta, though funding is a “constant battle.”
Despite proposed military health budget cuts for fiscal year 2008, Jack Sims, the Togus director, said the hospital currently has adequate staff because there has not been an overwhelming influx of troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
“We try to stay ahead of the situation,” Sims said. “Members of top management make rounds throughout the facility on a weekly basis to make sure we are aware of any situation.”
Gen. Peter Schoomaker, U.S. Army chief of staff, said at the hearing that a number of problems at Walter Reed have been identified and fixed, but there is still much to do. “Some of our medical holding units are not manned to the proper level and some of our leaders have failed to ensure accountability, discipline and the well-being of our wounded soldiers,” Schoomaker said. “We are committed to rapidly fixing these problems.”
Collins said the Armed Services Committee will hold joint hearings with the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee to discuss disability programs for soldiers, which is an additional concern for many injured troops.
Soldiers often receive inconsistent disability ratings from the military and VA hospitals, which affects disability pensions, committee members said at the Tuesday hearing.
“We’re going to have to take a look at the disability system to identify a less adversarial system and one that’s more consistent,” Collins said.
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Farm Bill Poses New Challenges for Potato Growers
POTATO
Bangor Daily News
Carlene Olsen
Boston University Washington News Service
2/28/07
WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 – Maine potato growers said Wednesday that funding cuts proposed under the reauthorization of federal farm subsidies could hurt key research initiatives in the state.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns said that the proposed legislation would offer increased support for specialty crop growers, such as fruit, nuts and potatoes. Specialty crop sales now exceed the combined sales of the five big commodity crops – wheat, corn, soybeans, rice and cotton – he said.
Farmers from across the country convened this week to discuss industry concerns and the proposed farm bill at the National Potato Council’s annual policy conference.
The 2007 U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Bill, a five-year plan last changed in 2002, that outlines government funding, subsidy payments and research programs for the agriculture industry, was a main topic.
“If we are serious about securing the future of agriculture, we need to tend as well to our specialty crops as we have done with our program crops in the past years,” Johanns said.
But Potato Council members from Maine said the plan could hurt key research initiatives, like the University of Maine’s Integrated Pest Management program, which, is run mostly on Department of Agriculture grants.
“The funding for the farm bill isn’t what it has been,” said Steve Crane, a vice president of the council and an Exeter resident. “This year we have a smaller piece of the pie to work with.”
The pest management program monitors weather and ground conditions each week at 125 state farms, offering growers a 10-day warning period that can prevent major disease outbreaks, Jim Dwyer, crops specialist at the university, said in a telephone interview. The program informs state potato farmers about fungi growth, such as late blight, and other hazards to prevent wide-spread crop damage.
“Late Blight is the same fungus that caused the great potato famine in Ireland in the 1940s and it is still a major concern for growers today,” Dwyer said. “In 2006, [the program] saved Maine potato farmers about $13 million due to advance notice.”
Pest management programs are “vitally important” for the industry, Democratic Rep. Michael Michaud, of the 2nd District, said in a telephone interview.
The potato industry contributed $500 million to the state’s economy in 2006 and accounted for 27 percent of the potatoes shipped in the northeast, according to data from the Maine Department of Agriculture.
The farm bill proposes to eliminate certain growing restrictions for subsidy-paid farmers, which would increase competition for the state’s estimated 350 to 375 independent potato growers, according to Dan LaBrie, a council member and potato grower from St. Agatha
Unlike specialty growers, commodity crop farmers receive subsidy payments and would be allowed to grow potatoes on their land, LaBrie said.
“Individual farmers are trying to impose acreage restrictions to keep the [potato] supply in balance,” he said, adding that there would be “unfair compensation” among growers under the new bill.
It is unclear if acreage restrictions for commodity farmers will be removed under the new bill, though it would be a “significant problem,” said Democratic Rep. Tom Allen, of the 1st District.
“There is a disagreement between the administration, which wants to remove those restrictions, and… many members of Congress in both the House and the Senate,” Allen said in a telephone interview.
But, Johanns, citing a series of nationwide Farm Bill forums, said that market promotion and trade assistance is a larger industry concern than subsidy payments.
“What we heard from specialty crop producers was that they were really not asking for cash subsidies,” the secretary said. “But … there was a need for more assistance in certain areas.”
Council members met with state representatives and senators to discuss the proposed farm bill during the conference Tuesday.
“One of the things we need to look at is the overall funding [of the bill] and to make sure the North East regions are not left behind,” Michaud said after meeting with Potato Council members. “The west has definitely benefited from the bill in the past and it’s time we have a fair program.”
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Proposed 2007 Farm Bill Plans for Specialty Crops
Although proposed spending for the 2007 bill totals $10 billion less than the 2002 law, more money would be directed to specialty crops to balance past spending that favored program crops, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said.
Specialty crop proposals under the new bill would add:
- $68 million in mandatory funding for technical assistance to help farmers promote and develop new sales markets in addition to a $250 million boost for market access promotion.
- $500 million in new funding over the next 10 years to the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program to buy more fruits and vegetables for children.
- $2.75 billion in new funding to support nutrition assistance programs.
- $1 billion added over the next 10 years for a new specialty crop research initiative to address plant breeding, disease management and crop growth issues.
Source: Speech by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns to National Potato Council members in Washington Feb. 27, 2007.
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Sens. Snowe and Boxer IntroduceAirline Passenger Bill of Rights
AIRLINE
Bangor Daily News
Carlene Olsen
Boston University Washington News Service
2/27/07
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 – Spurred by a string of delays earlier this month that left angry passengers trapped on planes, Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) introduced legislation this month that would limit passenger waits onboard grounded airplanes.
Dubbed a “Passenger Bill of Rights,” the legislation would cap onboard waits to three hours, as well as require airlines to provide food and water.
“The aim of the Passenger Bill of is to ensure airline passengers are not held hostage on board commercial aircraft without access to basic needs,” Snowe said in an emailed statement.
While few domestic flights carry food supplies, said Rebecca Hupp, director of the Bangor International Airport, deliveries can be made to delayed planes with passengers.
The senators announced the bill after a number of airlines earlier this month experienced weather delays across the country, leaving some passengers on board grounded planes for more than 10 hours.
“There are no resources on the planes to help you,” said Kati Hanni, spokeswoman for the Coalition of the Airline Passenger Bill of Rights, a passengers’ advocacy group. “People were in a very awkward position for a very, very long time.”
Hanni, a California resident, said she had once remained onboard an American Airlines flight for about 13 hours , leading her to develop a petition for a bill of rights similar to the proposed legislation.
“Some people out there are diabetic and since many airlines have no snack service, when people are forced to check their bags [delays] can become a life or death situation,” Hanni said.
The Federal Aviation Administration does not have set regulations that govern how long airlines can keep passengers onboard, a department spokesman said.
According to a draft of the proposed legislation, pilots could override the three-hour limit if a flight is expected to depart within 30 minutes or if passenger safety is at risk.
Hupp said weather conditions could be a safety factor if passengers are allowed to leave a grounded plane after boarding.
“If stairs need to be brought to the aircraft in order for passengers to leave, icy or snowy conditions can be dangerous,” she said.
The senators plan to hold hearings, enabling members of Congress to speak with national air carriers about customer service challenges facing the airline industry, Snowe said in the statement.
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Gov. Baldacci Discusses State Reform in Washington
MEGOV
Bangor Daily News
Carlene Olsen
Boston University Washington News Service
2/26/07
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 — Gov. John Baldacci, in town for the National Governors Association Winter Meeting, joined governors from across the nation to discuss state issues, ranging from education to the economy.
The conference, which began Saturday and ends Tuesday, offers governors the opportunity to meet with President Bush, federal officials and each other to develop initiatives and plans they can then utilize in their home states.
“It’s very clear to me that we have to be innovators in our economy and our education,” Baldacci said in an interview shortly after the governors met with the president Monday morning.
Baldacci called the president’s discussion of plans for Iraq, immigration and education “invigorating.”
Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano chaired the conference, which focused on the economic theme, “Innovation America.”
Baldacci said the Northeast Dairy Compact and high school reform were discussed.
“We need to ask more of ourselves in terms of providing opportunities for children to be successful in the future,” the governor said, adding that plans are underway in Maine to improve math and science education and establish more college prep programs.
As one of 10 states awarded a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation for high school education reform, Baldacci said ensuring that children at all school levels do not get left behind in the system is a priority.
The governors also passed a resolution to support the reauthorization of the USDA Milk Income Loss Contract Program, Baldacci said, though he added that unlike the federal program, the Dairy Compact would not require government appropriations. The Milk Income Loss Contract Program compensates dairy producers when domestic milk prices fall below a specified level.
Baldacci also said he supports the reauthorization of the Northeast Dairy Compact, which was created by Congress in the 1990s and ceased operation in 2001 after Congress did not reauthorize it. The compact established an equal pricing system for independent and corporate farmers.
“We support the re-authorization of the Northeast Dairy Compact,” said Stanley Bennett, president of Oakhurst Dairy in Portland. “Attrition has continued in the industry and there are fewer than 400 farms operating in the state, with a lot of them on the edge [of closing] if they do not see an improvement in pricing.”
Bennett said about 90 percent of the milk from his dairy comes from a group of 85 independent Maine dairy farmers.
“We are much more concerned about there continuing to be an adequate supply of high quality milk,” Bennett said.
Baldacci said job growth plans for various state business sectors, such as boat building, were discussed at the conference.
“You cannot take limited resources and spread them from point A to point Z. You need to take limited resources and help support specific [economic] clusters,” Baldacci said. “We’re hoping to gain more than 2,000 jobs over the next several years by focusing on those strengths.”
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