House Passes $70 Billion for VA Funding

[catman]

The house recently passed H.R. 2528, the Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2006, which appropriates $70 billon for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Funding for Veterans medical care has increased by 18% over the last two years. For the first time ever, this bill allocates $2.2 billion solely for mental healthcare and doubles funding for mental health research. The bill also includes recommendations that the VA initiate a new pilot program to provide a comprehensive restructuring of the complete revenue collections cycle and states that the VA provide quarterly progress reports to the Committees on Appropriations in both Houses of Congress. This will allow the VA to improve their revenue collections of billed amounts from third party insurance companies.

Yeah this sounds good, but will the president sign it into law?

[Chas H]

Good question, and the COLA for VA comp too.

[Gimpy]

But the "House of Representatives" should have their butts kicked for once again underfunding the VA health care system.

Where is this stuff coming from, the VA's own "propaganda" or the House of Representatives press releases?

What they have done is ADD the last two years totals of 8% and 10% increases to come up with their "total" figure of "18%".

That's NOT a true reflection of what the "actual" increase really is/was these past two years.

8%
10% +
18% divided by TWO YEARS = only NINE PERCENT (9%)

The former VA Secretary, Anthony Principi and the current Undersecretary of VA Health Care have given SWORN TESTIMONY before Congress that it requires at LEAST a 13% to 14% increase EACH year just to meet the MINIMUM requirements of providing adequate health care to the sick & disabled veterans of this country. They ain't even CLOSE!

Sorry buddy, but someones "blowing smoke" up the you know what of veterans of this country! This is pure, unaldulterated propaganda, nothing else.

[Chas H]

Common Gimpy, someone's gotta pay for the tax cuts.

[Gimpy]

How silly of me!..................

[catman]

$70 billion dollars....$70,000,000,000.00. Not sure about all folks here but feel the need to post this.

That is one ass load of money. I consider myself to be somewhat educated and somewhat worldly. I can not comprehend that much money. Sure, I can do the math, add, subtract, multiply and divide with the number, but the thought of that much money is way out of my comprehension capabilities.

I would venture to say that if the average person, many of us here, were given that kind of money, we could make sure that every veterans was cared for, projects funded and still have a surplus of money to carry over to the next year.

That is way, way more than the gross national product of most nations. We are only trying to take care of what 30 million or so people with it. So that equals roughly $2.33 billion per person. You telling me the VA can not get by on that?

Something is wrong here and it is way more than the current administration or politics in general. People are getting way fat within the VA and still screaming they need more.

I see many, many air conditioned doghouses being built at our expense!

Trav

[Andy]

There is no way the VA is taking care of 30 million Vets. Could anyone (Gimp) get a figure as to how many vets are being serviced or are receiving a disability? It would be interesting to do a $70 Billion divided by "X".
I know this would be difficult but how many vets die per day, (many WWII guys) Vs. how many new people are being added to the rolls.
$70 Billion is a huge number but if it ends up being $4,000 per person it would be a much more understandable figure.

Stay healthy; Have you had your check up this year?
Andy

[catman]

Did just a real quick search and this is what I found on Military.com............

About 25 million veterans ---a figure equal to more than half of the 43 million people who have served in the military since the American Revolution --- are now eligible for VA benefits, according to VA and Pentagon estimates. That includes 3.6 million aging World War II veterans and a new generation of service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 1 million vets were added to the VA's rolls in Bush's first term alone.

They are also claiming $68 billion and not the $70 posted above so that is roughly $2.72 billion per veteran eligible.

Pretty sickening huh?

Trav

[catman]

Figured I should post the whole article found at http://www.military.com/NewsContent/...l?ESRC=army.nl

Trav




Washington - Even as President Bush and Congress heap praise and promises of support on troops in Iraq and veterans at home, veterans' groups say the federal government is failing them by woefully underfunding programs on which vets rely.

Their complaint seems to contradict the evidence: The Bush administration, with a push from Congress, added more than $20 billion to the Veterans Affairs budget in Bush's first four years in office, more than the Clinton administration added in eight years.

And Republican Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson of Georgia, along with others in Congress from defense-reliant states, are pushing to raise benefits for National Guard members and reservists to more closely match those of active-duty military personnel, increase access to the VA's prescription drug benefit and ensure that veterans are given preferential treatment in federal hiring.

Yet even with a VA budget of $68 billion, the government's financial commitment is being outpaced by the rising cost of health care and the soaring number of veterans eligible for health care, Education and housing assistance. Veterans groups say that with the White House pushing for veterans to pay more for their health care and Congress slashing the budget to cover the deficit, pay for the Iraq war and cover hurricane cleanup costs, it is likely to get worse for veterans before it gets better.

"We're a continuing cost of war," Joseph Violante, national legislative director of the Disabled American Veterans, said. "If you want your freedoms, if you want your safety and your peace, you have to pay for it."

About 25 million veterans ---a figure equal to more than half of the 43 million people who have served in the military since the American Revolution --- are now eligible for VA benefits, according to VA and Pentagon estimates. That includes 3.6 million aging World War II veterans and a new generation of service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 1 million vets were added to the VA's rolls in Bush's first term alone.

With increased costs and demand, the VA earlier this year revealed a $1 billion shortfall in health care funding, generating Democratic charges that the Republican-controlled White House and Congress were shortchanging vets even as they publicly vowed support.

Bush proposed adding $100 million for VA health benefits in his 2006 budget request, but that is $3.4 billion short of what a coalition of the nation's largest veterans groups said is necessary to meet current needs. Also, the White House once again proposed more than doubling veterans' co-payment on prescription drugs --- to $15 for each prescription each month --- and to impose a $250 annual enrollment fee on the drug program to help meet the soaring cost of medical care.

Congress is bumping up the spending and once again canceling most of the administration's plans to charge veterans more.

Veterans groups have for years been pressing Congress to solve the problem by converting the VA's health care programs to mandatory funding, which would allow its funding to rise annually according to inflation and need --- as does the funding for entitlement programs like Social Security.

Much of the VA's budget, including pensions and disability compensation, is already for mandatory programs. Running health care the same way would end veterans' annual competition for funds.

"That would take the politics out of it, and a lot of it is politics," said Edward Kemp, national commander of Amvets.

Legislation to convert the VA health benefits is circulating in Congress, but hasn't moved far.

The administration and GOP lawmakers insist they're meeting their obligations to veterans.

"We would love to fund every single program and every agency to the fullest extent as the desires of the beneficiaries would like us to," Chambliss said.

"Unfortunately, that's not the case with any agency."

Isakson said making VA health benefits an entitlement would only run up costs.

"The argument against all mandatory spending is that once you define it as mandatory you put it on cruise control and it's out of the control of Congress," he said. "That's what has gotten us into problems with a lot of programs." Changes proposed

Chambliss earlier this month won passage of a measure that would lower the retirement age for National Guard members and reservists who go on active duty, as so many have in Iraq. Those with 20 years of service would be able to retire as early as age 50 under the proposal.

But this is Chambliss' third try to pass the legislation. The Pentagon and administration opposed past measures, claiming they were too costly. The Pentagon has not opposed his latest bill, but Congress hasn't provided money for it either. Chambliss said he hopes to get full funding --- $300 million over five years --- in the 2007 budget.

Isakson, who sits on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, and Chambliss also backed a measure that would give wounded soldiers who live with their families up to $10,000 each to add wheelchair ramps, railings or other accommodations for the disabled to the home even if the soldier isn't the owner. Only veterans who own their own home get the benefit now, even though many of the wounded are so young they have not yet bought a home.

"We are improving vet benefits," said Isakson, adding that Bush "is not being disingenuous at all" in saying he supports the troops while proposing only modest increases in spending. Progress has been made, particularly with prescription drugs and computerization of patients' records, Isakson said.

"The 'not good enough' argument is not an acceptable statement to me when, in fact, you're improving," he said.