Chairman Brown disappointed not all FY05 mental health funds spent; promises more oversight

Washington, D.C. –Subcommittee on Health Chairman Henry Brown (R-S.C.) made this statement in response to a Government Accountability Office statement for the record for today’s subcommittee oversight hearing on post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury:

“Veterans expect that wounds suffered in service, be they to mind or body, will be cared for by the nation they served. While the quality of veterans’ health care has come far, I find disappointing today’s GAO statement that VA last year used less than the full $100 million Congress allocated for mental health.

We will exercise greater oversight on this issue now to determine what VA is spending and how it is being spent, to ensure that funds allocated by the American people are used as intended.

When our young men and women serve their nation, they give their all; Congress expects that those entrusted to care for them do the same.”

Please visit our website at http://veterans.house.gov