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VA Health Care
Funding
In 2007, the Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA) expects to treat 5.8 million veterans – more than double
the number in 1995. Instead of providing adequate funding, the Congressional
Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that the President’s budget for fiscal year
2008 would cut veterans’ health care by $3.4 billion over five years (below the
level needed to keep up with inflation). This lack of funding has resulted in
health care rationing and an entire group of veterans denied access to the
system. On May 17, 2007, I voted in favor of a budget resolution (S.Con.Res.21)
that invests $32 billion over five years above the President’s budget. On
May 24, 2007, I also voted in favor of the House passed emergency FY07
Supplemental Appropriations bill (H.R. 2206)
which included an additional $1.8 billion for veterans’ healthcare and to
assist with mental health, benefit claims, and the backlog maintaining VA
facilities. It also included an additional $2 billion for military heath care
at Walter Reed and other hospitals, including Traumatic Stress
Disorder/Counseling and the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) care and research.
Finally, On June 15, 2007, I voted in favor of the Military Construction and
Veterans Affairs (VA) Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2008 (H.R. 2642)
that would provide $43.2 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA),
which is $6.7 billion above 2007 and $3.8 billion over the President’s request
for veterans’ medical care, claims processing personnel, and facility
improvements. This includes $28.9 billion in funding to improve access to
medical services for all veterans, which is $1.7 billion above the President’s
request. This legislation is the largest single increase in the 77-year history
of the VA and for the first time in 21 years that the House has exceeded the
request of the veterans’ Independent Budget.
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 proud to be an original cosponsor of the
Assured Funding for Veterans Health Care Act (H.R. 2514),
which would fund the VA through mandatory, rather than discretionary, funding
similar to the way Social Security and other entitlements are funded. Honoring
our promises to our veterans means providing them access to high quality
medical care. You can be assured that 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
7/6/07 - Reps. Murphy, Larson Highlight
Historic Commitment to Veterans Funding
6/15/07 - Larson Honors Commitment to
Veterans, Votes for Historical Funding for Vets Programs
3/28/07 - Larson Statement on Passage of
Wounded Warrior Assistance Act
Additional Information
VET-21
I recently re-introduced
the 21st Century Veterans Equitable Treatment Act (H.R. 3455), which would
require the Secretary of the VA to set limits for the amount of time that a
veteran has to wait for appointments using the VA’s established performance
goals. Under this bill, if the VA cannot meet these standards, it would allow a
veteran to seek service or treatment at a non-VA medical facility for which the
veteran would have otherwise qualified within the VA system. It would also
recommend “Smart Card” technology to expedite reimbursements for services and
reduce complicated paperwork. The bill has been referred to the House Committee
on Veterans’ Affairs.
Press Release
8/4/07 - Larson Reintroduces Veterans
Health Care Legislation
Disabled Veterans Tax
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.
According to the
Department of Defense (DoD), over half a million veterans lose an estimated $3
billion in benefits each year. I am a cosponsor of the Disabled Veterans Tax
Termination Act (H.R. 333 ),
which would permit retired members of the Armed Forces who have a
service-connected disability to receive both military retired pay by reason of
their years of military service and disability compensation from the VA for
their disability. Additionally, I voted in favor of the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (H.R. 1585)
that would take another step toward ending this unfair tax by expanding the
special compensation for combat-related disabled retirees who have served at
least 15 years and have a 60 percent disability rating.
Additional Information
Veterans Mental Health
It is estimated that
one-third of veterans returning from Iraq
and Afghanistan
face mental health challenges. In addition, almost one thousand veterans
receiving VA care commit suicide each year and one out of five suicides in the United States
is a veteran. I voted in favor of the House passed FY2008 Department of
Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1585),
which launches a Military Mental Health Initiative to coordinate all DOD mental
health research and a Traumatic Brain Injury Initiative to provide the
opportunity for emerging technologies and treatments to compete for funding. On
June 15, 2007, I also supported the Military Construction-VA appropriations
bill (H.R.
2642 ), which provides $600 million for mental health and PTSD, including
funding that would ensure the five Level I Polytrauma Centers and the three
Centers of Excellence for Mental Health and PTSD are fully operational in 2008.
These Centers treat the signature injuries for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Almost one thousand
veterans receiving VA care commit suicide each year and one out of five
suicides in the United
States is a veteran. I am a cosponsor and
voted in favor of the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act (H.R. 327),
which would establish a comprehensive program to reduce the incidence of
suicide among veterans, with 24-hour mental health care for veterans and a
mental health outreach and education program for veterans.
Military
Survivor Benefits
As you know, surviving military
spouses participating in the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) were promised 55
percent of the deceased retired military pay for life. However, under current
law, when surviving spouses reach age 62, the benefit is significantly reduced
to 35 percent of the retired pay. This unfairly penalizes more than 60,000
survivors and that is why I am a cosponsor of H.R. 1927, which
would allow widows to receive all benefits to which they are entitled without
one benefit offsetting another. On May 17, 2007, I voted in favor of the FY2008
Department of Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1585)
that includes a special survivor indemnity allowance to begin addressing this
unfair tax.
Additional Information
Military Death Benefits:
Status and Proposals (Library of Congress)
Priority
8 Veterans
In 2003, the Bush
Administration prevented Priority 8 veterans (those at the lowest level without
service related injuries) from enrolling in VA healthcare. The President’s
proposed fiscal year 2008 budget continues this restrictive policy, which has
denied over 242,000 veterans access to the VA services they earned for their
service to our nation. As a result, I am a cosponsor of the Honor our
Commitment to Veterans Act (H.R. 463 ),
which would lift the ban on priority 8 veterans.
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
Helpful
Links
Congressman Larson and
a bipartisan Congressional Delegation led by House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi commemorated Memorial Day 2007 with
U.S. Marines and retired veterans at the Allied Museum
in Berlin, Germany.
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