European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 02, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday october 2, ,1994 the stars and stripes Page 3. I Iii Gulf vets caught in no Man s land by Cindy Killion Washington Bureau Washington ailing persian Gulf War Veter ans who Are no longer Able to work afe still in limbo while a 4-month-old tug of War Between the depart ment of veterans affairs and the Senate continues. Until the disagreement is settled veterans who either have been diagnosed with or believe they have the persian Gulf syndrome won t see any service connected disability payments. The controversy which does not affect those still on Active duty concerns granting service connected disability status to veterans who now Are either underemployed or unemployed because As a result of their ill Ness they can no longer function physically or mentally at the level they could before the 1991 War. Granting the status would require the a to give tax free monthly disability payments ranging from $100 to As much As $1,000. A officials have said that under their current rules they cannot do that because the symptoms of the Gulf syndrome Are so varied and because there is no known cause. _ several months ago prompted by a request from the a the full House of representatives approved Spe Cial legislation that would allow disability payments for the next three years while More medical research is done last week however the Senate veterans affairs committee rejected the idea saying no special Law is needed. The committee chairman sen. Jay Rockefeller d w.va., led the fight. For several months Rockefeller has been accusing a Secretary Jesse Brown of foot dragging and a request Jor special legislation has been seen As one More Way for the a to continue to skirt the entire Gulf syndrome Issue. He told Brown at the latest hearing that he doubts the Secretary s claim that the payments would be illegal and challenged him to begin them just to see if anyone will  Rockefeller said current Laws do allow the a to make such payments. He has used the example of a disability payments for chronic fatigue syndrome which also has no known cause. Richard Surratt spokesman for the disabled Ameri can veterans said his organization agrees that disability should be paid but not the Way the a and the House have proposed. Brown told lawmakers during committee hearings on the Issue that the a will come up with the funds by cutting Back the 1995 Cost of living allowance for serv ice connected disability and death compensation recipients. _ Surratt said the a had Little Choice in Corning up with this proposal because of the 1994 budget enforce ment act. The pay go provision of the act says that any new legislation must be funded through an Agency s existing budget he said. So the a has to Cut some benefits in order to pay others instead of getting More funds added on As More wars occur and the need  in effect he said Brown s proposal will take Money out of older War veterans pockets in order to pay operation desert storm veterans. That just in t right he said. It shows the weak Ness of this budget legislation. Additional Money has to be allocated by Congress or some people Are going to be  if the Senate comes up the Winner in this dispute. The disability payments will not be considered new legislation. Therefore the a will not be subject to the pay go provision. Rockefeller said he will introduce legislation to the full Senate that will clarify the a s Legal boundaries in granting compensation benefits. But just when the Senate might vote on such legis lation is unclear. Sources with the veterans affairs panel said chances Are slim that the Senate will take up the measure before it adjourns next Friday. The Cham Ber will stay in recess until the end of november when it will gather for a few Days to debate foreign Trade legislation before quitting for the year. Vicenza repairman sues cafes 30-year italian concessionaire locked out of workshop  Northern Italy Bureau Vicenza Italy an italian concessionaire his filed suit in italian court against cafes charging the Exchange service with unlawful labor practices. Giacomo Russo an electronic repair concessionaire for the army and air Force Exchange service for 30 years was locked out of his Vicenza workshop aug. 31 by the Exchange service. Lawyers " for the 57-year-old concessionaire petitioned an ital Ian labor court in Vicenza last week to order cafes to reinstate Russo. They also asked the court to Levy damages against cafes to compensate Russo for loss of in come. A decision is expected As Early As this week. Asked Why Russo was fired James e. Moore general manager of the cafes stores in Vicenza and at Aviano a would say Only because he did not fulfil his  Moore did hot elaborate inside Russo s workshop located in an cafes warehouse Are checks an unspecified amount of Cash customers prop erty such As stereos and televisions and tools spare parts an various equipment belonging to Russo. He estimates the total value of his workshop property at about $13,000. Russo has been unable to Geta Afes to return his property. He also has been barred from entering the padlocked workshop. I have not been Able to get in and cafes is holding Back $7,000 in pay ments for work done Russo said. From 1964 until last july. Russo worked As an cafes repair concessionaire at san Vito Dei Normand air station in Southern Italy. He retained the Concession at san Vito even after taking cafes up on its invitation to open shop in Vicenza in july 1993. Russo said problems which he Al Leges were largely caused by indifference on cafes part arose some months ago. Among Russo s complaints in Cruger Giacomo Russo right with his son Antonio is Tak ing his fight with cafes to an italian court. Cafes did not terminate his con tract legally. Russo said he never received a letter of termination. However Moore said we have a employee who hand carried it to him and the employee made a statement to  Russo said that he was not Given adequate space for his workshop when business increased and that his work area did not meet accepted International and european safety standards. A local cafes official who has since retired replied to Russo s at the time. The official would have to be made at rus so s expense. Russo said his workshop be came so crowded that he rented storage space at his expense in a commercial facility in Vicenza. Russo. Said cafes did not provide sufficient help in pro curing parts and schematics from . Suppliers. He got everything he was entitled to Moore said thursday. Russo s contentions Are backed up by Angelo d Andrea for whom the concessionaire worked when d Andrea served As cafes manager of services and vending for  Andrea recently retired after 38 years with cafes cafes asked him Russo to come to Vicenza to run the workshop because they could t find anyone else to run the operation d Andrea said. What makes me upset is the Way they cafes supervisors treated tiny cafes asked him la move Here. He moved his entire family at considerable Cost and personal sacrifice for All Especial / his 20-year-old son Antonio who has Down syndrome and then they do this to the Man. Lusn t the cafes i used to Chow. Now it is a Bunch of kids who Don t care for people d Andrea said. For cafes part Russo was told during the summer that he was in default of. His contract. The letter from cafes contracting officer Patrick Skeeters in Vicenza cited delays in repairing or failure to repair six items belonging to various customers during a six month period. Russo claims that an aug. 5 meeting Between Skeeters and Moore at which time Russo was told that they would move to terminate his contract was the last official Contact he had with cafes before being locked out. Now i can do nothing. I can t even work at Home because cafes has my tools. I have a big problem trying to maintain my family Russo said. A complaints a l maintain family Russ a told him that his fears were unjustified my age the Way conditions Are in Italy and that any major improvements i la never find another  House team to study Bias at . Bases in Europe Heidelberg Germany is a House armed services committee task Force will examine discrimination in the military during visits to american communities in Germany and Spain in mid october. _. _ the purpose of the task Force which is scheduled to Stop in army communities in Wiir Burg from oct. 13 to 14 and Kaiserslautern from oct. 17 to 18, is to in formally assess the status of equal Opportunity programs within each of the services Anchie nature and scope of minority discrimination according to a . Army Europe statement Friday. The four person task Force will also Stop at Ramstein a on oct. 19, said a spokeswoman with the . Air forces in Europe. The group plans to visit naval station Rota Spain but no information was available Friday on the the Date for that trip. A r a second team is touring bases in South Korea Japan Okinawa and Guam the statement said. The task Force will meet with groups and individuals during the visits the statement said. X individuals participating in the meet Ings at the army installations will be Active duty service members selected at ran Dom for m a variety of units and specialities using the last two digits of their social Security numbers the statement said. Findings and other observations during the meetings will not be attributed the army statement said. " Only people participating in the meet Ings will be allowed in the group sessions. Requests for appointments to discuss individual cases with the task Force must be processed through an equal opportune Ity adviser Usa eur said. Advisers at the 21st theater army area come can be reached at Dan 484-7236 at the 3rd inf diva Dan 350-7255 and at the 98th area support group in Wurzburg at Dan 350-6632. Additional information was not Avail Able Friday from the House armed serv ices committee