Memorandum From the President on the Veterans' Federal Coordinating Committee

Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, the Administrator of Veterans Affairs, the Chairman of the Civil Service Commission, the Director of the Community Services Administration

We have recently completed an interagency policy review of Federal programs affecting Veterans of the Vietnam War era. I have sent a Message to the Congress reporting on the findings of that review as well as proposing ways the Administration can improve the delivery of services and expand available benefits where necessary, to these Veterans. While there already are generous benefits and services available for Veterans, what is required of us is better identification of the special needs of Veterans in general, and service-disabled Veterans in particular, and developing methods for improving the delivery of services to meet these needs. I have decided to establish a Veterans' Federal Coordinating Committee that will be chaired by the Assistant to the President for Domestic Affairs and Policy and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Specifically, the Committee is charged with:

(a) Setting appropriate goals and taking such other actions as are needed to assure the delivery of services to Veterans. It will assume the employment responsibilities previously charged to the Interagency Jobs for Veterans Advisory Committee.

(b) Fostering greater coordination and linkage of programs affecting Veterans both within the Federal Government and, where appropriate, between Federal programs and those of State and local governments.

(c) Insuring full implementation of the decisions made as part of the Policy Review Study.

I am requesting that you designate a member of your staff for the purpose of representing your department or agency on this Committee.

JIMMY CARTER