The American Veterans (AMEVETS) 2010 Symposium for 21st Century Veterans was held from August 9-11th in Louisville, Kentucky, and brought together over one hundred young war veterans to discuss a range of issues, including health benefits.
Also on the agenda were discussions about health care and the transition from active duty back into civilian life. The symposium was sponsored by Health Net Federal Services. This year, it was held in tandem with the AMVETS 66th National Convention, which is attended by veterans of all ages along with their children, spouses and even grandchildren.
The goal of the symposium was to “meet the changing needs of a new generation of wartime veterans.” Steve Tough of Health Net said that “we commend AMVET’s dedication to being a leader in the discussion by recommending opportunities to better serve veterans returning from current conflicts.”
A diverse group of post-9/11 vets were invited to participate in a number of forums in an effort to pinpoint the issues facing the newest group of veterans (the last symposium was held in ’06). The outcome was a report that will serve as a guide for various veteran-support agencies. Vets held discussions in small group settings and focused on issues including the G.I. Bill, PTSD and suicide prevention, and women’s health care.
Many veterans did not have to pay out of pocket to attend the symposium, as their attendance costs were sponsored by donors.
Back in 2006, the report following the symposium revealed much different challenges and issues for veterans, but some recurring issues included struggles to obtain health care benefits, delayed payments for veteran college tuition, pay rate discrepancies following their return to the workforce, and general issues obtaining and keeping a civilian job.
While these are all present issues for post-9/11 vets, the issue of mesothelioma and other cancers that may be tied to exposures sustained during military service may not arise for decades. Mesothelioma cancer is a disease that WWII veterans are especially familiar with (and at least 30% of vets diagnosed happened to be Navy vets!), as asbestos exposure was prevalent during WWII. Mesothelioma takes years to develop and once a vet is diagnosed, treatment options like chemo are just a matter of keeping the patient comfortable and trying to delay the inevitable for as long as possible.
Perhaps at the 2050 symposium, veterans who joined the military following 9/11 and had been living as civilians for decades will be discussing their new concerns about asbestos cancer. For now, veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, where asbestos exposure still occurs, can remain hopeful that by the time they are in their seventies or eighties, there will be a mesothelioma cure. Those who find themselves struggling with this disease now are sadly not as fortunate.
For more information about this year’s symposium, visit AMVETS.org. To learn about the many ways in which military asbestos exposure impacts vets, visit our Veterans and Mesothelioma section.
