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Fiscal
Year
2006 VA Budget | Concurrent Receipt |
VA Health Care Funding
Timely Access to Health Care | Veterans Services |
Veterans
History Project
Helpful Links
Fiscal Year 2006 VA Budget
Today, more than 50,000
veterans are waiting in line for at least six months for
veterans’ health care -- and that problem will only
worsen with the growing numbers of soldiers returning from
Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. As of May
2005, the VA had treated only about 85,000 of the 360,675
veterans from these deployments. In 2006, the Department
expects to treat 5.2 million veterans - double the number
in 1995. The overall cost increase for medical care in
2003 was close to double the inflation rate.
The Fiscal Year 2006
Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs
Appropriations Act (PL
109-114) provides $22.5 billion for veterans' medical
services under the Veterans Administration (VA).
While higher than the initial budget request by the
President and the level set by the House, it still falls
short of the levels needed to fully fund the health care
and medical services our veterans need and deserve.
As Congress begins consideration of the Fiscal Year 2007
Federal Budget, I will continue to fight to ensure that we
fulfill our moral obligation to the brave men and women
who have served our nation.
Press Releases &
Floor Statements
5/26/05
- Larson: Veteran Spending Bill Falls Short (Veterans)
5/26/05
- Larson statement during House floor debate on H.R. 2528 
Additional Information
Concurrent Receipt
Due to a 100 year old law banning
“concurrent receipt” of both benefits, a veteran with both 20 years of military service and a service-related disability, has their benefit reduced on a dollar-for-dollar basis by the amount he or she receives in disability compensation. This reduction in the
veteran’s retirement benefits is commonly known as the
“Disabled Veterans Tax,” which essentially taxes the disability compensation eligible veterans receives at a 100 percent rate. Of the almost 1,800 veterans in the First Congressional District who receive military retirement benefits, 13 percent also receive disability benefits from the VA and are subject to the Disabled Veterans Tax.
While the FY2004 National
Defense Authorization Act included language that ended the
tax on veterans with more than a 50 percent disability
rating, they are forced to wait up to ten years to receive
their full benefits and more than two-thirds of our
veterans are left subject to this unfair tax. I am a
cosponsor of the Retired Pay Restoration Act of 2005 (H.R.
303) which would completely end the tax on disabled
veterans. I will continue to fight in the 109th Congress
to ensure that the benefits that our disabled Americans
have earned for service to our country are not subject to
unfair taxation or restriction.
Additional Information
VA Health Care Funding
For more than 60 years, when someone becomes a member of America’s armed forces, the U.S. Government makes a promise to them that once their military service has ended, they are guaranteed a lifetime of adequate health care services through the Department of Veterans Affairs. This promise is the least that we as a nation can do for the brave men and women who serve, sacrifice, and put their lives on the line in our military.
Sadly, however, recent Federal budgets routinely fall billions of dollars short of addressing VA health care needs. Because funding for the VA health system is considered discretionary – rather than mandatory - spending, the annual VA budget is left open to cuts and under-funding that strain services, reduces benefits, and increase waiting times for access to appointments. I am a cosponsor of
The Assured Funding for Veterans Health Care Act of 2005
(H.R.
515), a bill that would provide full funding for veterans health care and make such funding mandatory – rather than discretionary - so that our veterans get the full care they were promised in return for their service to our nation.
Additional Information
Timely Access to Health Care
Reports by the Government Accountability Office and several veterans’ service organizations have shown an increase in the amount of time a veteran must wait before accessing their health care system. In 2004 alone, over 235,000 veterans had to wait over 60 days for an initial appointment at a VA facility. In some cases, veterans wait almost 2 years before seeing a doctor. Learn more about the
21st Century Veterans Equitable Treatment Act (VET-21), legislation I introduced to address this problem,
here.
Veterans Services
My office stands ready to assist district veterans with questions and problems related to federal agencies and services. If you should need any assistance on matters involving veterans’ affairs, please contact my Hartford office at (860) 278-8888.
Veterans History Project
The Veterans History Project
(VHP) was created in to collect and preserve the personal histories of veterans and those who served in support of them. Learn more about what my office is doing to organize this effort in the First Congressional District
here.
Press Releases
12/5/03 -
Larson, Veterans, Students Kickoff Veterans History Project in Connecticut (Veterans)
Helpful Links
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