Q. Would you, if elected to the position of Chief Executive, keep the Veterans Administration as a separate entity of government, serving only the veteran, his widow and dependents?
Governor Carter. Yes. The needs of veterans, their widows and dependents can best be served by a single combined administrative structure.
Q. Do you agree that the special service rendered by the veteran who served his country during war qualifies him for the special programs enacted by Congress or would you propose legislation to reduce or eliminate any of these programs?
Governor Carter. I agree that the special service rendered by wartime veterans qualifies them for special programs enacted by Congress.
Q. Should the VA hospital system be apart from any other federal system and provide medical care second to no other for the veteran only or would you propose its integration with the national health insurance plan?
Governor Carter. The medical care available to veterans must only be second to none. At present such high quality and specialized care is only possible through the VA hospital system. Unless continued delivery of such specialized, high quality care could be guaranteed, I would favor retaining the independence of the VA system.
Q. Would you adjust veterans? programs to reflect the rise in the cost of living as necessary?
Governor Carter. Veterans should be protected against inflation if necessary to the full protection of their benefits.
Q. As it was the federal government which called the veteran to the service of his country, should it not be the federal government which provides the veteran a burial spot?
Governor Carter. I believe that the burial assistance should be available to all eligible veterans.
Q. Would you require the implementation of the laws which give veterans9 preference and priority in the hiring in federal jobs, particularly for the young Vietnam Era veteran?
Governor Carter. Yes, veterans whose lives have been disrupted by national service should be given every consideration in their readjustment to civilian life. The laws that mandate this special preference in hiring should be rigorously enforced.
APP NOTE: The APP used October 1 as the date for this document. The original source stated that this appeared in the "October 1976" issue.
A few weeks before the General Election on November 2, 1976, interviews with Mr. Carter by specialized publications and questionnaires on special interest issues were printed in magazines and journals dated October or November, 1976, but circulated in late September or early October. The interviews reprinted here focus on matters of concern to teachers and educators, the construction industry, farmers and the agricultural community, professional engineers and scientists, those concerned with health care, and members of the Armed Forces and veterans.
Jimmy Carter, Response to Questions in "Veterans of Foreign Wars Magazine" Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/347557