New year, same old story: Veteran challenges continue
BY PAULY SUBA Journal Staff
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico and BARRIGADA, Guam — In Guam, 2024 is designated as the Year of the Veteran.
But despite the respect paid to those who have served their country, veteran care in the islands continues to fall short.
Some veteran benefits are hard to come by, leaving ailing veterans little choice but to pay for their care or live off-island.
Lt. Gov. Joshua F. Tenorio shakes the hand of a Guam veteran after the Year of the Veteran proclamation signing. Photo courtesy of the office of the Governor
Estimates may come close, but no organization is sure how many veterans deserve the title or have become disillusioned and exist outside the system.
A proclamation signing on Feb. 2 commemorated the legacy of all Guam veterans who have served from Guam and urged them to register and seek assistance at the local veteran's affairs office.
Throughout the year, different activities are being planned throughout the island, spearheaded by several veterans' organizations and advocates, including I Hinanao I Magahet Yan I Ininna (The Way, The Truth, and the Light), a non-profit organization consisting of veterans for veterans.
The organization holds "veterans benefits boot camps" to assist and educate them so that they know their benefits and get the resources they deserve.
TaijeronAnthony Taijeron, president of HMI Guam, said he believes the boot camp is an opportunity to give back to those who have served and will provide veterans with the tools and coaching they need to understand the claim process.
“We guide our veterans through every step of the process, from creating a VA account, filing the claim, collecting the evidence, partnering with doctors in the community who are veterans to assist with the medical portion, and even after the VA sends a decision, if they need help with an appeal, we coach them through that as well,” he said.
During the process, HMI does its best to keep track of how many veterans it assists at every boot camp. From the onset, Taijeron said they were assisting about 20 veterans at each boot camp. Fast forward and the last bootcamp saw just under 100, including their families. He said, “Getting those numbers will be very useful for Guam. The numbers get us a veterans hospital, more services, and more service providers.”
Taijeron said other issues include the situations of veterans in the Federated States of Micronesia and the Philippines are unique and benefits are limited. Those veterans could be assisted through a VA hospital in Guam, he said. In the meantime such veterans often have to pay out of pocket, he said.
Corrina Ballesta, vice president of HMI, said some of the challenges their organization faces include empowering veterans to understand that they deserve the benefits. She mentioned that some veteran’s express reluctance to apply for veterans benefits because they believe others are more deserving. Ballesta emphasized the importance of filing, not only for themselves or their families but also for their fellow veterans, as the issues all veterans are facing are extremely dire.
BallestaBallesta illustrated the challenges by sharing her own experience. "Imagine having no more than a tiny little house outside of the naval hospital where I receive my treatment. But when I go to a place like Las Vegas, I’ll receive any type of care I need." She highlighted that veterans in Guam still face difficulties in accessing treatment all over the island, or they are sent to Hawaii, which poses a whole other challenge.
She criticized the process, “Someone who isn't even a doctor would look at a veteran's file to decide if they can travel. And although travel finances are covered, the real problem is some veterans wouldn't receive confirmation until the day of. What if this person has a job or a family and must figure out childcare while they are gone? A veteran should be allowed to plan out their travel plans several weeks ahead.”
At the Veteran of the Year Proclamation, Lt. Gov. Joshua F. Tenorio emphasized the need for focused efforts to address unfinished business and push forward initiatives to improve the lives of veterans. He highlighted the importance of establishing a veteran’s clinic near a new hospital and viewed the Year of the Veterans as an opportunity to expedite progress.
Tenorio also shared the situation of CHamoru and Guamanians stranded in the U.S. due to limited access to medical care and specialties necessary for living in Guam. He expressed frustration that these individuals, who took an oath to serve and expected to retire in Guam, are unable to do so. He said, “Isn’t this a darn shame,” and underscored the urgency of shifting decision-making from Hawaii to Guam and leveraging the current historical context to advocate for investment in Guam's veterans.
Despite Guam's high per capita military enlistments and an estimated 24,000 veterans, there are concerns about inaccurate numbers, leading to a lack of VA funding for the territory. Many politicians and veterans' advocates suspect that this discrepancy is contributing to the funding shortfall.
Puerto Rico veterans see similar issues to those in Guam.
CruzJuan A. Cruz-Rodriguez, department adjutant of the American Legion Department of Puerto Rico, in San Juan; told the Journal that Puerto Rico, like Guam, is experiencing an exodus of veterans seeking more efficient healthcare in the continental U.S.
He empathized with Guam's struggles, recognizing the smaller population and the logistical challenge of having Guam's regional office located in Hawaii. “We understand the situation in Guam perfectly. Because we are also a territory.”
He said at the National Executive Committee of the American Legion in May 2022, a Resolution advocating for extending TRICARE Prime to eligible retired veterans in all U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico, was presented. This resolution highlighted the healthcare disparity between mainland U.S. and territories like Puerto Rico and Guam, urging legislation to extend TRICARE Prime coverage to eligible retired veterans in all territories.
Cruz-Rodriguez said there is a lack of support from the U.S. Veterans Affairs office for Guam, stressing that veterans in Guam deserve equal treatment. He highlighted Puerto Rico's advantage, due to Tricare benefits received by retired veterans, and advocated for Guam to have similar access to healthcare facilities.
He said the American Legion Guam could play a significant role in advocating for more benefits as resolutions passed at the national level can influence policy.
“How do I know? Because me, Juan Cruz did it. Nobody here can deny it. The veterans in Guam can do a lot of good when they put their minds to it,” he said.
Puerto Rico had some success in securing an outpatient clinic for psychiatric cases, eliminating the need for veterans to travel to the continental U.S. for treatment.
However, Cruz-Rodriguez also shared his frustration concerning the slow claim process in Puerto Rico.
HMI Guam assisted veterans at the Hepzibah Family Medical Clinic in Tamuning. Photo courtesy of HMI Guam
There are instances where veterans had to wait for years before receiving assistance. Cruz-Rodriguez highlighted the need for improvement in the claims process to ensure timely support for veterans.
He said, “A lot of benefits are passed on to veterans, but the problem is it stays in the 50 states. What happened to the territories? It’s sad, but it’s a political problem. I don’t like to look at it that way, but the more I look at our situation as a territory it’s exactly that. We must solve our political status problem.”
Cruz-Rodriguez said it’s extremely important that Guam rallies around its veterans and encouraged Guam to exercise similar influence at the national level to share the needs of veterans in U.S. territories.
He said, “Share how fed up you are in Guam, like we are here. The federal government must pay attention to the needs of all our veterans in the U.S. territories. The post in Puerto Rico is standing by to help their fellow veterans.” mbj
