Mr. Dye,
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but IMO the 'government' does not give a rat's ass about any veterans; WHY do I have this opinion?
Allow me to explain. I reside in Ramsey County, Minnesota, Saint Paul to be exact. I was previously employed by a company that services disabled persons, with all of all types of disabilities. Many of the individuals our company serviced are US Military veterans. Many of these individuals frequented the local VA hospital which is located just north of the MSP airport. I worked personally with many of these US Military veterans. I was able to converse 'one on one' with many of these veterans, and I have to tell you, I have some stories that will break anyone's heart, that has a heart. The greater majority of these US Military veterans that I had the honor to converse with relayed to me stories that are replete with opinions of a stagnant government that has no regard for the individual; a government & a bureaucracy that basically runs roughshod over the very citizens that the government is supposed to be serving now, citizens that have given pretty much all they have to give to the nation they call 'home'. I met & conversed with several former veterans that are affected by Agent Orange; they all have a very similar story to relay, which is as yours; terrible. Again, you can only do so much when you are attempting to alert a dead government to the realities of those that have served & that are now being slowly put into their graves by not only their past physical realities but also the very government they served that is now unresponsive. You have to keep trying but that may be all you will ever have; these government yahoos may never help you beofre you take your last breath. I am sorry to tell you this; I have seen this before & it sucks beyond belief. Uncle Sam takes & takes but in the ned Uncle Sam never gives, much ..................