Anchorage Daily News

One indisputable achievement of Congress in 2008 was a new GI Bill to match the one the nation offered after World War II. Now the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan and any other vets who have served since 9/11 can count on a college education if they want it.

This year's lively election was a boon for veterans too -- in Alaska, all four statewide candidates made a point of their support for veterans. Mark Begich was out in front of Sen. Ted Stevens on the New GI Bill, but Stevens was an early supporter of allowing vets to transfer their education benefits to spouses or children, and backed funds to pay for village vets to reach Alaska's cities for treatment.

"Support Our Troops" has been more than a good intention. But veterans groups can't afford to stand down.

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) is pushing a list of 10 priorities for the incoming Obama administration. Among them:

• Recruiting more mental health professionals, using tax or other incentives, to work with veterans and military personnel.

• Mandatory, confidential testing of soldiers before deployment to combat duty and again after deployment. The screening will help make sure post traumatic stress or other mental health problems are diagnosed early.

• Faster processing of veterans' disability and compensation claims. This has been a sore point with veterans and their families for a long time. In February 2008 the General Accounting Office reported a backlog of 650,000 disability and compensation claims, with an average processing time of 183 days. The Veterans Benefits Administration has struggled to put together both the technology and the staff to shorten the time and cut the backlog.

IAVA wants to see that backlog halved by the end of 2009. That's ambitious, but it's the right target.

• Swift work on regulations that will let veterans transfer GI Bill benefits to family members. For many vets, a college education for spouse, son or daughter is more important than his or her own. IAVA reports that the transferability rules may not be in place until August 2009. The sooner the better.

Most important? Cut the backlog in processing benefits. Vets get some superb help from the VA -- provided the VA can get them to it.

There's another intriguing proposal backed by IAVA and the Wounded Warriors Project -- compensating family members when they are caring for disabled veterans. Sometimes family members sacrifice their jobs and health insurance coverage to look after their disabled loved ones.

This is an idea worth a long look. We'd be wary of paying family members to do basic, routine care. But for veterans with intensive needs, some compensation of family members makes sense, especially when the caregivers have to leave behind their jobs and lose health insurance. As many veteran advocates point out, families pay a price too.

Given the tremendous burdens borne by a volunteer force stretched thin -- burdens well known and well borne in Alaska -- the Obama administration should make veterans' services a priority.

BOTTOM LINE: We expect a lot of our veterans; they've earned a lot in return.

Who's up / Who's down

UP Mark Begich: The long count gives him a narrow lead over Uncle Ted.

DOWN Ted Stevens: Hulk mum. Don't expect the senator to say uncle yet.

UP Don Young: The long count leaves him comfortably ahead. When the final vote comes to fruition, he'll still be Alaska's lone congressman for some of his constituents.

DOWN Ethan Berkowitz: Polls? Polecats! Sean Parnell ran a closer race. If Ethan is a man of faith, he must be sorely tested now.

UP Tony Knowles: Former gov has his name bandied about for Secretary of the Interior. That's how it started for Sarah.

DOWN Bill Weimar: Six months at the Graybar Hotel, six months housebound. Tough gig at 68. At least he didn't claim to be naive.

UP Anchorage firearms merchants: Obama's election triggers run on guns and ammo. Keep your powder dry, pilgrims. Lose the paranoia.

UP Southcenteral speedskaters: That new oval at Cuddy Park is flooded to a freeze, fit for a blade. Don't thaw now.

EVEN Sarah Palin: Gov returns to national stage. Must be the bright lights. But hey, how about firing up the home base?

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