More local Vietnam veterans seeking benefits

Vietnam- and Korean War-era veterans are increasingly applying for health benefits in McLeod County, according to veterans services officer Jim Lauer.

His 2007 report, issued last week, notes these groups now outnumber World War II veterans seeking benefits. Lauer said World War II vets once represented the majority of people he served. But now that many Vietnam-era soldiers are nearing retirement age, Lauer said, “the Vietnam War vets are by far the majority.”

Why didn’t more Vietnam vets seek medical benefits before? Lauer chalks it up to a number of factors. “A lot of them may have had good benefits through their (civilian) jobs and are now retiring and looking at other options for health care,” he said.

Health care through the Veterans Administration might be looking more affordable as medical costs in general have risen sharply. Also, Lauer added, some of the veterans who returned from Vietnam may have felt disillusioned with the experience and declined to seek benefits. But now, economic realities are helping to bring them back into the fold.

For more on this story, see the Leader's June 24 print edition.

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)