ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 10 (UPI) -- President Obama addressed the Disabled Veterans of America in Florida on Saturday, promising more research into the emotional problems they face.
Obama said the government will devote $100 million to research into post-traumatic stress disorder and into ways to fight "this epidemic of suicide," USA Today reported.
He also pledged to do more to reduce the backlog of claims at the Veterans Affairs department. The administration said the backlog, which is partly a result of adding PTSD to the list of disorders for which veterans can receive compensation, has already been cut from more than 600,000 to under 500,000, about 20 percent.
"It has not moved as fast as I wanted it to," Obama told the convention. "We are not where we need to be, but we are making progress."
The president and his wife, Michelle, stopped at the convention in Orlando on their way from Washington to their vacation in Martha's Vineyard.
Obama said his priorities include proper funding for veterans' programs, addressing homelessness and unemployment among former soldiers and improving the healthcare system.
