Contact: David E. Autry: (202) 314-5219
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 21-The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) applauds the passage of the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act today in a unanimous vote by the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
This critical legislation would authorize Congress to approve medical care appropriations for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) one year in advance of the start of each fiscal year, effectively ending the funding delays that have plagued the VA when Congress has failed to pass an appropriations bill on time.
“We are encouraged that Congress has moved one step closer to ensuring sufficient, timely and predictable funding for veterans health care with the Senate committee’s vote today,” said Disabled American Veterans National Commander Raymond E. Dempsey. “There is no reason why Congress shouldn’t move quickly to pass this legislation which provides a sensible, no-cost way to permanently end the chronic delays in funding for veterans health care.”
The Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act (S. 423 and H.R. 1016) was introduced by the chairmen of the Veterans’ Affairs Committees in the Senate and House – Sen. Daniel Akaka (D – Hawaii) and Rep. Bob Filner (D – Calif.) – in February, and now has 47 Senate bipartisan cosponsors and more than 100 in the House. President Obama has also pledged his support for providing advance appropriations for VA health care. The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is expected to vote on the legislation next month.
Enactment of the legislation would allow Congress to set the VA’s health care funding level one year in advance of when the funds are actually needed. This, in turn, would provide a predictable funding process for the VA, which has received its budget late 19 of the last 22 years. The legislation also would add needed transparency to the process by having the Government Accountability Office review and report on the reliability of VA’s health care budget request.
The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs also approved today in a unanimous vote two important bills that include provisions to improve health care for women veterans (S. 252) and better support caregivers of disabled veterans (S. 801).
About Disabled American Veterans
The 1.2 million-member Disabled American Veterans, a non-profit organization founded in 1920 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1932, represents this nation’s disabled veterans. It is dedicated to a single purpose: building better lives for our nation’s disabled veterans and their families. For more information, visit the organization’s Web site, www.dav.org .
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*Note: The views and opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of all CIAV organizations.
