Aguilar is a retired brigadier general who served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 31 years. He is president and CEO of the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum and lives in San Diego.
The spirit behind Veterans Day is to remember those who honorably served and put their lives on the line for the good of our country. Battles such as Belleau Wood, Iwo Jima, Chosin Reservoir, Hue and Fallujah are firmly etched in United States Marine Corps lore. To the Marines who served, America owes these heroes an incredible debt of gratitude.
San Diego County has the third largest concentration of veterans in the country. Communities like Oceanside and those areas surrounding Camp Pendleton have thriving veteran communities, thanks in no small part to the Marines who settled here after their service ended, as well as the efforts of local community leaders and House member Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano.
As we approach Veterans Day, it is deeply troubling to hear about federal government policies that would prevent veterans from accessing the essential benefits for which we served and sacrificed. Case in point is a proposed rule change by the Department of Veterans Affairs that threatens veterans’ access to medical care and, unless delayed or defeated, will directly harm Marine veterans and their families.
The rule, “Change in Rates VA Pays for Special Modes of Transportation,” would cut the VA’s reimbursement rates for ambulance providers to Medicare rates and bring the rate for providers to less than 60 percent of operational costs in some cases, threatening the viability of the ambulance sector.
As a Marine, our credo is semper fidelis, always faithful. We believe to our core that no one should be left behind. Because of these core values, I feel the need to express my grave concern about this proposed policy change, as it would leave veterans, particularly Marines and other veterans living in rural communities, behind, not in far-flung foreign lands but right in our backyard.
Preserving a robust system for ambulances, especially for the 4.4 million veterans in rural areas, is critical for the health and well-being of former service members, including myself, in Southern California. Many veterans cannot obtain essential medical care without access to ambulances, especially in emergencies, which is why this rule is so troubling. For those living in these rural and remote areas, being unable to access the health care we need is not only a significant concern but it could also be life-threatening.
Air and ground ambulance services also employ veterans at higher rates than other industries — employing pilots, providers and mechanics, among many other jobs, and playing a valuable role in helping veterans transition from active duty to civilian life. The proposed rule change threatens operations with no consideration for the thousands of jobs being put at risk in San Diego County and with no recognition for how these changes disrupt the already challenging transition from military to civilian life.
This Veterans Day, remember the veterans, remember our families and remember to fight for our benefits just as diligently as we fought to preserve our freedoms. Rather than a surface-level, “Thank you for your service,” veterans would be far better served with the knowledge that our hard-earned benefits will be accessible, that our families can get an ambulance in a reasonable amount of time, and that their jobs will not be put in jeopardy because of a rushed and poorly thought-out VA rule change.
Congress can engage and make a difference here. Levin, this Marine and my brothers and sisters in arms urge you to oppose the VA rule, “Change in Rates VA Pays for Special Modes of Transportation.” We served with a sense of duty and honor for our great country. We urge you to do the same. Oppose this VA rule for the good of soldiers, sailors, and members of the Air Force, Coast Guard and Marine. That would make a great Veterans Day acknowledgement.
