Ed Meagher, a Vietnam veteran who has worked to help soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan prepare for jobs and access medical care, said at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday that the expansion of the Veterans Affairs budget has given veterans more educational opportunies.
“Supporting our efforts is President Obama’s actions increasing the VA budget to $140 billion in 2013, fully funding the new GI bill allowing over 800,000 veterans and their families to pursue an education and begin their post-military service to our country,” Meagher said. “The Obama administration has hired more than 3,500 mental health professionals, and will hire 1,600 more over the next year, to help veterans to cope with post-traumatic stress or traumatic brain injuries and to strengthen suicide prevention efforts.”