As President Barack Obama reminds Americans that Memorial Day is more than the casual start of summer, many veterans advocates are eagerly waiting for more details about his plans for a revamped veterans program, CNN reported.
Monday is "a time to reflect on what this holiday is all about; to pay tribute to our fallen heroes; and to remember the servicemen and women who cannot be with us this year because they are standing post far from home - in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world," Obama said in his weekly address Saturday.
The White House recently proposed a significant budget increase for the Department of Veterans Affairs, including an 11 percent hike in fiscal year 2010 - Obama says that's the largest single-year funding increase for the agency in three decades. The president's budget also calls for a $25 billion increase in funding for the VA over the next five years.
"It's a commitment that will help us provide our veterans with the support and benefits they have earned, and expand quality health care to a half million more veterans," Obama said.
...