U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), the top Democrat on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, hosted a roundtable discussion with local veterans on Wednesday.
He heard about how services are being affected by the recent firings of 3,000 VA employees — a number that could end up being closer to 83,000.
Brian DaConto is a U.S. Navy veteran who now works for the American Legion’s Soldier, Sailors, and Marines fund, which offers financial help for Connecticut vets. He said that when major illnesses like cancer or Alzheimer’s happen, veterans have a tough time financially.
“Home care nursing at over $300 a day, in assisted living facilities at over $10,000 per month,” DaConto said. “The only thing these seniors want is to take care of their loved ones. What happens next is that their savings get wiped out. In desperation, they take out a second mortgage. Imagine being in your eighties and still having a mortgage payment. Changes need to be made to Medicare and Medicaid.”
Blumenthal has loudly opposed the Trump administration's cuts.
“We are going through a crisis, the VA in Washington, I don’t want to sugarcoat it,” Blumenthal said. “The VA in Connecticut, as far as I can tell, is still functioning at a very high level. There is a lot of fear about the impacts of the freezes on funding and hiring and the cuts in resources.”
VA Secretary Doug Collins has said the cuts are needed to prioritize care for vets.
