European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 24, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday february 24, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 5 vets urged to protest cuts in benefits Montgomery lists objections to a budget by c Lin Swift Washington Bureau Washington the chairman of the mouse vet Erans affairs committee has called on former service members to join in political action against what he sees As an assault on their benefits in president Reagan s proposed budget for 1987. It is now More crucial than Ever that veterans rally gel into the thick of things write make phone Calls and resist attacks on their programs especially those made through the budget process said rep. . Montgom Ery a miss. Montgomery s statement was issued As other demo cratic members of the committee made a flurry of objections to the budget one Day before the a cleans administration acting administrator Everett Alvarez was to appear before the committee to defend the s26.6 billion budget proposal. Montgomery said budget recommendations that will be challenged substantially revised or totally eliminated by the committee include a reduction of More than 7,500 a employees mostly health care personnel. A Means test for medical care eligibility that was denied in last year s budget. A Cut of More than 57,000 in the estimated number of hospitalized patients and of  million in outpatients who would be treated in 1987, a Cut of $208 million in construction modernization or renovation of hospitals and clinics. No further funding of the veterans Job training program. An increase in the a Home loan service charge from i percent of the principal to nearly 4 percent by Montgomery promised that close scrutiny would be Given to the administration s proposal to drop the new i Bill and return to the veterans education assistance program. Montgomery was the chief author of the new i Bill and he said that after Only seven months the Pentagon All of the services and recruiters arc calling it a Success. A a spokesman said the defense department believes that the program is a needless expense because recruiting is going Well and that its enhanced education benefits May be encouraging some service members to leave the military. Still being tested the new i Bill still being tested requires participants to pay at least $100 a month for one year Toxvard education benefits. When they arc ready to collect inc government adds $300 a month. Under leap participants could receive More but they had to put in at least $2.700 of their own Money instead of $1,200. The administration s request for new budget authority for medical compensation and other programs for the nation s 27.8 million veterans family members and survivors is about $400 million below this year s level after cuts required by the 1985 deficit reduction Law. It contains a request for a 3.7 percent Cost of living increase in compensation and pension payments starting dec. I 1986. And includes $15.1 billion for benefits $9.4 billion for medical care and $408 million for construction. It would provide funds for the equivalent of 213,000 full time a employees. The a is seeking $10.7 billion for monthly benefits to 2.2 million veterans with service connected disabilities and to 325,000 survivors of veterans who died from serv ice connected causes. The budget asks $3.8 billion in pension payments for 634,000 needy disabled War time veterans and for an equal number of survivors of War time veterans. The a estimates it will treat about 1.4 million hospitalized veterans and 18.6 million veterans who Don t need to be hospitalized. Under a Compromise in the 1986 budget reconciliation Bill still working its Way through Congress the a would begin charging veterans who make More than $15,000 a year a deductible for Hospital care. But those who make less would be eligible for a care even if their disability were not service connected. A administrators Are asking for authority to contract for Home health services and to require third party insurance carriers to reimburse the a for treatment of Veter ans with non service connect cd disabilities. Rep. Bob Edgar d-pa., chairman of the subcommittee on hospitals and health care attacked the pm in a employees and nursing Home construction. Take away the people who administer and deliver health care and you be effectively killed the  said. He said the construction program is essential to meeting the health care needs of a dramatically increasing age 65 and older Veteran  he sail the 5ronosal to end the Job training program would leave 90,000 unemployed Vietnam Era veterans  for a Way to Pul food an inc  rep. Richard Shelby a Ala. Another member of inc committee introduced legislation on feb. 5 in raise he number of Home Loans the a would provide this ear. The Bill would raise the ceiling on a Loans from $ 11.5 billion this year to $ 17 billion. Shelby questioned the estimate by the office of management and budget that the a would guarantee 180,000 Home Loans this year a figure lower than its estimate last year when interest rates were higher. Without legislation the estimate would lock the a into providing thai number of Loans he said. Shelby said if the present Rale of Home loan approvals continues and the a s 10.5 percent interest Rule does not Rise appreciably. 250,000 Loans could be guaranteed this year he said that with the higher ceiling the i percent loan origination fee veterans pay could mean $ to million to $40 million More to help reduce the Federal budget Defi Cit. $90,000 loan limit to help find $234 million in cuts required this year by the deficit reduction act the a announced ii would limit Loans to $90,000 instead of about $133,000. Slop refinancing Loans As its interest Rale dropped and restrict veterans from using the loan entitlement More than once. In the past veterans had been permitted to apply for a second loan if for example they sold their Homes and restored their eligibility by paying off the first Loans. After an outcry from Congress and veterans groups the a changed its mind about the cutbacks. An executive said thai under the $11.5 billion limit the Agency could run out of Money for Loans by april i. Vice president George Bush sits in the cockpit of an f-16 fighter Jet during a veep visits vegas tour of Nellis afb., Nev. Bush stopped at the desert air base during a political swing through the West that included fund raisers in Las vegas Sands or time in the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. Feb. 24,1946 German civilians in the French controlled mountains near con stance Switzerland reported seeing Martin Bormann Hitler s missing Deputy. 30 years ago today. Feb. 24, 1956 dozens of new bus Boycott arrests were expected in Montgom Ery Ala., As preparations were being made for a mass meeting of 10,000 Blacks Pray ing for Justice to  Boycott leaders said Blacks will shun All motor vehicles and walk wherever they go. 20 years ago today. Feb. 24, 1966 in Moscow soviet officials said they had put two dogs into orbit and said the Experiment was solely to con duct biological  10 years ago today. Feb. 24. 1976 Florence Ballard who Sang her Way out of the ghetto to International Fame with the super emacs and then wound up Back on welfare Rolls died of cardiac arrest in a Detroit Hospital. Cd says flu epidemic has claimed 830 lives Atlanta up1 Federal health officials say the worst influenza epidemic since 1981 has now spread to All 50 Stales and claimed 830 lives. The National centers for disease control has reported that flu and pneumonia deaths in 121 major represented the seventh straight week of increased mortality from those two respiratory ailments