|
SEN. SALAZAR
CITES MAJOR CONCERNS IN VA BUDGET
Washington, D.C. – Today
the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee met to discuss the impacts of
the Administration’s FY06 budget request on the Department of Veterans
Affairs. After the meeting U.S. Senator Ken Salazar wrote a memo to
Colorado Veterans groups outlining major concerns in the Administration’s
recent budget request. In the memo Senator Salazar writes, “We can’t
accept a plan that forces 213,000 veterans out of the health care system,
that kicks thousands of elderly veterans out of nursing homes, and that
does little to reduce waiting times or improve quality of service.”
Below is the memo Senator
Salazar sent to Colorado Veterans groups.
To: Colorado Veterans of
Foreign Wars,
Colorado American Legion,
Disabled American Veterans, Chapters 1, 16, 26
Paralyzed Veterans of America, Mountain States Chapter
Colorado AMVETS
Colorado Reserve Officer Association,
Colorado Naval Reserves Association,
American GI Forum of the United States
Association of Ex-POW of the Korean War, Inc.
The Retired Enlisted Association
Veterans` Widows International Network, Inc.
William Belz, Director, Colorado Division of Veterans Affairs
University of Colorado Office of Financial Aid – Veterans Services
From: U.S. Senator Ken Salazar
Re: Veterans Cuts in FY2006 Budget
Date: 2/15/04
Over the next few months,
Congress will develop a spending plan that will have huge implications
on the more than 446,000 veterans who live in Colorado.
I am writing today because
I believe that the administration’s budget request for the Department
of Veterans Affairs will not come close to meeting rising costs and
will force the VA to continue limiting the number of veterans who can
receive care.
This memo outlines some
of the major problems I see with the budget request. We can’t accept
a plan that forces 213,000 veterans out of the health care system, that
kicks thousands of elderly veterans out of nursing homes, and that does
little to reduce waiting times or improve quality of service.
I would appreciate your
input on the president’s budget. As a member of the Senate Committee
on Veterans’ Affairs, I will do my best to fight for our common agenda
of making sure the federal government keeps its promises to American
veterans.
BUDGET’S IMPACT ON COLORADO
The Administration’s 2006 VA budget request will shortchange Colorado’s
Veterans:
• 27,635 Colorado veterans
in the VA medical system would face a new $250 annual fee and $15
drug co-payment. This financial hurdle will create additional burdens
on our veterans.
• Colorado’s state-run veteran nursing homes will face major federal
budget cuts. The VA wants to cut $496 million nationwide and reduce
the number of nursing home patients by at least 5,000. Colorado has
veterans’ nursing homes in Aurora, Florence, Homelake (Monte Vista),
Rifle, Trinidad and Walsenburg. Colorado will have to shoulder more
of the costs of care or kick nursing home patients out of the system.
• Under Bush’s budget, Colorado is estimated to get only $3.5 million
more in VA funds. This represents an increase of less than one half
of one percent for veterans' care. These funding levels are not sufficient
considering the growing number of Colorado’s veteran population and
the spiraling costs of medical inflation.
BUDGET IMPACT NATIONWIDE
The president’s FY2006 budget request will not meet the VA’s increased
costs and continue the trend towards limiting the number of veterans
who can receive care.
The administration is requesting
$115 million more for medical appropriations, an increase of less than
one-half of one percent. The VA itself estimates medical inflation and
payroll increases to cost at least $1.39 billion. Veterans groups say
a more realistic picture of the increased cost is $3.5 billion.
New Fees
The budget proposes increasing the prescription drug co-payment for
Priority 7 and 8 veterans from $7 to $15– on top of the increase from
$2 to $7 implemented three years ago. The budget also would impose a
new $250 annual fee for these veterans. Priority 7 and 8 vets include
those with no service-connected disability who make more than $25,842
if single or $30,013 if married. There are currently 2.4 million such
vets enrolled in the VHA across the country and 27,000 enrolled in Colorado.
Officials estimate that the change will force 213,000 veterans out of
the VA system.
Delays in Claims
Processing
The VA’s budget does little to reduce waiting times and claims accuracy.
The VA’s projected average days to process combined compensation and
pension claims is expected to stay the same as last year: 145 days.
The national accuracy rate is expected to rise two points to 90 percent.
VA is attempting to reduce the number of pending claims for compensation
and pension to 283,000 by the end of 2006, a reduction of about 12 percent
from year-end 2004.
I do not believe that veterans
should have to wait months and months to have their claims processed.
Nursing Homes
The budget proposes reducing long-term and geriatric care by limiting
care to:
• Those injured or disabled
while on active duty including those in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Those catastrophically disabled.
• Patients requiring short-term care subsequent to a hospital stay
• Those needing hospice or respite care.
The VA also proposes reducing
the VA’s per diem reimbursement to the states for care provided in state
VA nursing homes; and completely cuts $104 million in construction for
state veterans home construction. The VA said its goal was to reduce
the number of nursing home patients by 5,000, but the long-term goal
of reducing costs may affect many more veterans. These changes will
put thousands of elderly patients in jeopardy and force individual states
and local communities to shoulder more of the costs of care.
Continuing Ban on
Middle-Income Veterans with No Service-Related Disabilities
The VA’s budget continues the ban on new Priority 8 enrollments; this
includes veterans without a service-related disability and who make
above about $29,000. Since this ban was put in place in 2003, 192,000
veterans across the country and 2,000 Colorado veterans have sought
VA care and been turned away.
Research
The VA is proposing to cut direct research funding by $9 million, resulting
in the direct loss of 173 research projects.
#
# # |
