Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Saturday unveiled his plan to improve the way military veterans are treated in the U.S., vowing to give them care "wherever and whenever they need it"
TRENTON -- Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Saturday unveiled his plan to improve the way military veterans are treated in the U.S., vowing to give them care "wherever and whenever they need it."
In a new policy paper posted on his campaign website, the billionaire businessman and Atlantic City casino tycoon, says the current state of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is "absolutely unacceptable."
"Politicians in Washington have done too little, too slowly to fix it," the paper reads. "This situation can never happen again, and when Donald J. Trump is president, it will be fixed -- fast."
The paper comes after Trump suffered a slightly slip in some polls in the GOP race, trailing to retired neurosurgeon in a few Iowa surveys and in one national poll. He still leads his 15 Republican rivals -- including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie -- in the majority of national surveys.
It also comes in the wake of a few instances in which Trump drew fire for remarks related to the military. In July, the real estate mogul and former reality television star suggested that U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) -- who spent five years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War -- was a war hero only "because he was captured."
And in September, Trump sparked criticism when he told a biographer that despite never serving in the armed forces and using deferments to avoid the Vietnam War, he always "felt I was in the military" because he attended high school at the New York Military Academy.
Trump has repeatedly vowed that he will help veterans more than any other candidate and that he will make the U.S. military strong.
"We're going to take care of those wounded warriors, and we're going to take care of our vets better than anybody," he said Saturday during a speech surrounded by veterans in front of the USS Wisconsin in Norfolk, Va.
MORE: Fewer Americans hate political correctness when Trump slams it, poll finds
According to the proposal, Trump would:
* Decrease wait times and improve health care for veterans to "facilitate a seamless transition from serve into civilian life."
* Allow all veterans eligible for the VA health care plan to bring their veteran's ID card to any doctor or care facility that accepts Medicare "to get the care they need immediately," the proposal reads.
* Increase funding for post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and suicide prevention to "address our veterans' invisible wounds."
* Increase funding for job training and placement services, educational support, and business lands.
* Give better support to women veterans, including staffing every VA hospital in the nation will an OBGYN and other health services, and allowing women to choose a different OBGYN in their community.
* Fire "the corrupt and incompetent VA executives who let our veterans down."
Trump's previous policy papers have focused on immigration, gun rights, and tax reform.
Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.