It may not be one of the most headlined positions in the cabinet, but for 20 percent of the American population-veterans and their dependents-the question of whom President-elect Barack Obama will pick as the secretary of veterans affairs is a big one.

Obama has made ambitious promises to veterans, including reforming the Department of Veterans Affairs, launching programs against homelessness, and improving mental health treatments. Veterans’ organizations say they also expect him to tackle the problem of some 800,000 backlogged disabilities claims and to focus on effective implementation of the new GI bill.

In order to accomplish any of these goals, he’ll need someone who can shake up a notoriously slow-moving bureaucracy. Insiders say he’s particularly looking for an up-and-comer on the youthful side who can bring change to the VA.

Several names are flying around Washington. One possibility-Chet Edwards, a congressman from Texas-took himself out of the running this week, telling Obama that he’ll stay in the House. Here are some of the most talked-about names.

Tammy Duckworth, Illinois veterans affairs director. Many insiders say that Duckworth is the top contender for the spot, even though Duckworth herself has said she hasn’t heard from Obama. But she has a number of advantages as Obama picks his team.

First, various veterans’ advocates have lauded her for her leadership. In her two years as VA state director, she helped expand programs to offer low-interest home loans for veterans, free screenings for traumatic brain injury, and a 24-hour hotline for post-traumatic stress syndrome sufferers. And as a 40-year-old Army National Guard pilot who lost both legs in Iraq in 2004, she has experienced firsthand the frustrations of the VA disabilities system, a perspective veterans would welcome.

Then there’s the fact that her background boosts Obama’s message of inclusion and change. Born in Thailand and raised in Hawaii, Duckworth is Asian-American. And she’d be the first woman to serve as head of the VA at a time when women make up 14 percent of the armed forces.

Something else in her favor is that Duckworth is no stranger to Obama; she spoke at this year’s Democratic National Convention in his support. She also accompanied Obama for a wreath-laying ceremony on Veterans Day in Chicago, kicking up cabinet conjectures.

Even if Duckworth doesn’t wind up in Obama’s cabinet, though, it’s possible that she’ll be following him to Washington. Duckworth, who ran a failed congressional bid in 2006, has been reportedly short-listed to replace Obama in the Senate. She has said that she’d be honored by being considered for either post. But there’s no news yet on whether either one has been offered officially.

Max Cleland, former senator and former administrator of the VA. The other front-runner is a familiar one in veterans’ circles. At the age of 34, Cleland, a triple amputee for his Vietnam War injuries, took over the VA under President Jimmy Carter. As director, he gained a reputation for reform, pursuing policies that ranged from expanding medical treatment for the disabled to computerizing VA record-keeping.

More recently, Cleland served as a senator from Georgia until he lost a tough re-election fight in 2002. And for Democrats, that loss could be part of the cherry on top for the choice of Cleland. His opponent released ads that asked if the decorated veteran had the courage to lead-damage that, supporters say, his pick as secretary could undo once and for all.

Cleland’s experience and reputation for reform make him a top option, even though the Obama campaign abruptly disinvited him from a July fundraiser for being a lobbyist., Grass-roots support has been building for the selection of Cleland, seen by many as heroic for his Democratic activism. The 66-year-old’s name is also being circulated as the new secretary of the Army.

James Peake, current secretary of the VA. One “dark horse” pick by Obama could be to keep Peake on. Appointed by Bush to the position in 2007, the decorated Vietnam veteran, 64, has overseen expanded mental-health care, an increase in how much free medical care veterans can receive, and the department’s offerings of VA-guaranteed home loans to veterans slammed by subprime mortgages. But he has admitted that progress in other areas, like the backlog of disabilities claims, has been slower than he’d like. Difficulties aside, supporters see him as a competent, experienced option for the job.

(continued...)

In the brouhaha of the rescue packages and tears for Wall Street is the neglected story of those who are returning disabled or injured from the battlegrounds of Iraq or Afghanistan. There are American troops with the UN peacekeeping force in Africa also. Far from being given a hero’s welcome back home they have to suffer waiting months to get benefits from disablement. This means they find it difficult to get suitable jobs and that in turn translates into danger from foreclosure. It is as if foreclosures are mocking the sacrifices of new veterans.

Recently the Congress has taken modest measures to help. Lenders have been banned from proceeding with foreclosures on any military personnel for nine months following their return from the battlefront. Previously the grace period was three months. It has also been made mandatory that the interest rates would not change for a year. Another bill has been passed to ensure that disabled veterans do not lose their houses to foreclosure while they wait for disability money to come through. The protection will last for a year. Democrat Senator John Kerry said, “We owe these men and women more than a pat on the back.”

Unfortunately the measures are all temporary and does not address the basic economic problems the veterans are now facing. The first hurdle is the hunt for jobs. The young veterans in their 20s and 30s are facing increased employment problems during the latter half of this year than previously. A survey conducted in 2007 by the Department of Veteran Affairs reports that of the 1,941 combat veterans who returned from the military in 2005, 18% are without jobs at closing of count in 2007. The national unemployment rate in October was 6.5%. A quarter of those who did find jobs earned less than $21,840 annually.

Andrew Spurlock was one of the unfortunate victims who had returned home disabled but could not find a satisfactory job. His skills at operating long-range reconnaissance and sniper management were of no use to get jobs at home. Finally he had to settle for selling pizzas. The situation is acute especially for the injured like Spurlock because their financial problems kick off almost immediately after arriving home. Some are so badly injured that they cannot work at all and depend totally on government handouts. Sometimes it takes six months for the disability cheque to come through. This gives enough time for families to be crushed by foreclosures.