Barack Obama

Veterans Administration Denied Health Care Services to Nearly 9,000 Illinois Veterans in 2005

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington Contact: Robert Gibbs or Tommy Vietor, (202) 228-5511
Illinois Contact: Julian Green (312) 886-3506
Date: January 25, 2006

Veterans Administration Denied Health Care Services to Nearly 9,000 Illinois Veterans in 2005

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) denied health care to 8,944 Illinois veterans last year as part of a Bush Administration cost-cutting policy begun in 2003. Nationally, more than 260,000 veterans were denied access to VA hospitals, clinics and medications in Fiscal Year 2005.

"The VA denied nearly 9,000 veterans in Illinois health care services they earned last year. This is an offensive and misguided way to balance the budget on veterans' backs," Obama said. "These are vulnerable veterans. In Illinois, veterans making an average minimum of $36,600 who went to the VA looking for care were turned away."

Since January 17, 2003, the VA has refused to admit moderate-income veterans who do not have a service-connected disability. The 2003 cost-cutting measure came after persistent underfunding of the VA budget. In 2005, the VA faced a $1.3 billion shortfall, even after turning away more than a quarter-million veterans.

Congressman Lane Evans (D-17), the Ranking Democratic Member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee also criticized the VA policy.

"There is no reason for the VA to give the cold shoulder to veterans who have served our country honorably," said Evans. "The problem is not that veterans are seeking health care from the VA, the problem is that the Administration would rather bar the doors and ration care than put forth an adequate budget to cover the needs of veterans."

Senator Obama, a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee has consistently fought for additional VA funding. On June 23, 2005, VA announced a budget shortfall of $1.3 billion from its FY2005 enacted level for veteran's health programs. On March 26, 2005, Senator Obama voted to add an additional $2.85 billion to the VA health care budget, but the amendment was defeated. An amendment providing $1.5 billion in emergency funding was later signed into law.

Later this week, Senators Obama, Akaka and other members of the Veterans Affairs Committee will send a letter to President Bush pressuring him to increase funding for VA health care in his 2007 budget request to be announced on February 6th.

The VA's income cutoff varies by county. In Illinois, this averages $36,600 and ranges from a low of $27,350 in 36 rural and low-income counties to $40,250 in the Chicago area. The 2005 national average for a single veteran was $25,842. A county-by county list of income thresholds is pasted below.

Since 2003, a total of nearly a half million veterans were turned away from VA care.

Senator Obama Wednesday also praised "Veterans Care," a state-level effort announced by Governor Rod Blagojevich last week to extend health coverage to veterans who do not have health insurance and who do not live within a reasonable driving distance of a VA hospital. "Where the federal government is failing our heroes, the State of Illinois is filling the gap," Senator Obama said.

Below, please find a list of veterans in each county and the income cutoff that would exclude them from receiving VA health care services: