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MORE $$$ FOR VA
FEENIX
Member Posts: 10,559 ✭✭✭
Arizona Republic (Phoenix)
January 21, 2007
New Senate, House Chairmen Want More Money For The VA
By Dennis Camire, Gannett News Service
WASHINGTON - With a new stream of war veterans coming home in need of health care and other services from the federal government, the new chairmen of Congress' two Veterans Affairs panels say they'll ask for more money.
Sen. Dan Akaka, D-Hawaii, chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said the Veterans Affairs Department's funding is inadequate to meet the needs of those coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan.
In particular, he pointed to the increasing numbers of military personnel suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, amputations and other problems.
"I'm going to have to make a big effort to try to increase the level of funding," he said. "I'm proposing to do it by justifying it as a cost of war and not . . . have us stand in line with other committees for whatever (money) is there in the Treasury."
The VA's money woes stem in part from the fact that Congress did not complete the agency's annual spending bill, which would have increased funding by $3 billion this year. The VA has said it needed the additional money just to take care of veterans already in its system.
Without the new money, the agency is left operating under last year's spending levels and drawing criticism from advocates for veterans.
"The inability to finalize a budget leaves VA administrators guessing how much money they have to operate the nation's premiere health care delivery system," said Paul Morin, national commander of the American Legion.
Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., new chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, agreed that more money is needed for the VA health care system, including additional funds for mental health care and chronic diseases research.
He has other priorities as well: "Insuring timely and adequate funding for the VA, effectively addressing the mental health and transition concerns of our troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, improving Department of Defense and VA collaboration and updating the Montgomery GI Bill," Filner said.
Collaboration between the VA and Pentagon, as a service member goes from active duty to veteran status, often leaves much to be desired, according to Akaka.
January 21, 2007
New Senate, House Chairmen Want More Money For The VA
By Dennis Camire, Gannett News Service
WASHINGTON - With a new stream of war veterans coming home in need of health care and other services from the federal government, the new chairmen of Congress' two Veterans Affairs panels say they'll ask for more money.
Sen. Dan Akaka, D-Hawaii, chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said the Veterans Affairs Department's funding is inadequate to meet the needs of those coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan.
In particular, he pointed to the increasing numbers of military personnel suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, amputations and other problems.
"I'm going to have to make a big effort to try to increase the level of funding," he said. "I'm proposing to do it by justifying it as a cost of war and not . . . have us stand in line with other committees for whatever (money) is there in the Treasury."
The VA's money woes stem in part from the fact that Congress did not complete the agency's annual spending bill, which would have increased funding by $3 billion this year. The VA has said it needed the additional money just to take care of veterans already in its system.
Without the new money, the agency is left operating under last year's spending levels and drawing criticism from advocates for veterans.
"The inability to finalize a budget leaves VA administrators guessing how much money they have to operate the nation's premiere health care delivery system," said Paul Morin, national commander of the American Legion.
Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., new chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, agreed that more money is needed for the VA health care system, including additional funds for mental health care and chronic diseases research.
He has other priorities as well: "Insuring timely and adequate funding for the VA, effectively addressing the mental health and transition concerns of our troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, improving Department of Defense and VA collaboration and updating the Montgomery GI Bill," Filner said.
Collaboration between the VA and Pentagon, as a service member goes from active duty to veteran status, often leaves much to be desired, according to Akaka.
Comments
They are backlogging their own work to justify more money. Typical Govt. Operation.
They paid for my MRI for my sevice connected disability on one ground.....I get surgery to get it corrected. When I asked them to get me the surgery......the VA quit responding to me and won't let me make any appointments with them. You can call their phone number at this local clinic any time of the week and no one will pick up the phone.
The new guy they have running the VA Clinic WILL NOT give out his last name.....seems the last guy had people HUNTING him down.