Bill also includes significant increases in funding for PTSD, military housing and VA hospitals

June 18, 2007

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Late last week, local Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand voted in favor of the Fiscal Year 2008 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill [H.R. 2642] which funds the largest increase in veterans healthcare in history.  This bi-partisan bill will help fulfill our country’s commitment to the members of the Armed Services, their families and our nation’s veterans.

"Federal spending reflects our country’s priorities, and there is no higher priority than the health and well-being of our veterans and the men and women in the Armed Forces," said, Congresswoman Gillibrand a member of the Armed Services Committee, "Our country’s veterans, members of the Armed Services and their families have answered the call to serve our country, and it is critical that the federal government provide them with the proper benefits that they deserve."

For 2008, funding for veteran’s health care will increase by $4.4 billion, which will allow the VA to treat more than 5.8 million veterans, including more than 260,000 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  This amount includes a $600 million new initiative for mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and a $66 million increase in funding for medical and prosthetic research.

The problems at Walter Reed Hospital shed light on a lack of oversight and accountability in the health care system for our soldiers and veterans. Making sure veterans get the care and benefits they deserve, while improving healthcare facilities to meet the highest possible standards, is a top priority for Congresswoman Gillibrand in Congress. Already, Congresswoman Gillibrand’s committee has held hearings on troop readiness and access to healthcare.

Gillibrand, who earlier this year visited Upstate New York soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Albany’s Stratton VA Center, added, "I am pleased that this bill increases funding by over half a billion to improve the conditions at our military and veteran hospitals.  This is vitally important to veterans in our community." Congresswoman Gillibrand regularly meets with an advisory board of local veterans to discuss military and veterans’ issues.

To eliminate the 400,000 benefits claim backlog, H.R. 2642 provides $1.6 billion in funding to hire enough 1,100 new claims processors for the VA system.  In addition, $2.9 billion in funding will be provided for military housing, and nearly $2 billion in information technology funding for electronic medical health records. 

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