Veterans must press for continued care at hospitals

The Allied Council of New Jersey Veterans Organizations, representing the more than 1 million voting veterans of New Jersey and their families, held their regular meeting in the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home in Menlo Park on Aug. 9.

With the New Jersey Legislature represented by Sen. Joseph Azzolina (R-13) and a representative from the New Jersey Depart-ment of Military and Veterans Affairs present, there were unanimous votes by the large group of representatives of New Jersey’s veterans organizations at the meeting to have long-term care, especially for Alzheimer’s patients, included in veterans benefits and to continue to have nursing home care provided in the U.S. Veterans Administration hospitals for our U.S. military veterans.

Investigators from the Allied Council advise that during this time of unprecedented federal financial surpluses, in order to reduce costs, the U.S. Veterans Admin-istration hospital at Lyons is releasing all of our state’s veterans who are currently helpless patients suffering from long-term Alzheimer’s disease.

In addition, it was reported that the U.S. Veterans Administration hospital veterans nursing home unit is being closed in order to cut expenses.

All of the approximately 4 million New Jersey citizens who are military veterans, and the family members of veterans, are urged to immediately contact their congressmen and senators and demand that, especially now, when the aging patriotic veterans population needs it most, that all our country’s military veterans who require and qualify for promised veterans benefits, especially the helpless Alz-heimer’s patients, be given long-term care, and also demand that there continues to be nursing home care available for our veterans at our U.S. Veterans Administration hospitals.

Julian "Bud" Batlan

Manalapan