Senator Dodd announces the details of his legislation at the Department of Veterans Affairs facility in West Haven.

April 11, 2006
West Haven, CT – Senator Chris Dodd today announced the planned introduction of legislation to improve veterans’ health care services following a tour of the Department of Veterans Affairs facility in West Haven. He was joined by Roger Johnson, the facility’s director, Woody Lechausse of the Connecticut Disabled American Veterans and Gary Waterhouse of the Connecticut Veterans of Foreign Wars.

“Right now, there are brave men and women fighting for America on the streets of Baghdad and elsewhere. And when they return home, they should have access to the best possible medical care available,” said Dodd. “It’s now anticipated that the Veterans Administration will experience a serious budget shortfall once veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan require medical care. Our nation should have no higher priority than taking care of our military veterans who have served in harm’s way to defend our freedom and this legislation will help ensure that they are given the medical care they need and deserve.”

Dodd’s legislation would provide funding to eliminate projected Veterans Administration (VA) budget shortfalls due to the influx of combat veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan. Nobel-prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitzdue has projected that there will be a VA budget shortfall of $18.9 billion over the next five years. The bill includes $6.9 billion for veterans’ medical care, $12 billion for increased disability payments and $1 billion to fund improvements to health facilities that treat military personnel and veterans.

He will introduce this legislation when the Senate reconvenes later this month.

Senator Dodd meets with a VA nurse.