December 19, 2007
Funding for Veterans’ Benefits and Health Care Included in Omnibus Bill
For more information, contact: Brian Lawrence, (202) 225-3527
Washington, D.C. — Today, 187 days after the House passed its bill to fund Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programs, a final spending plan is on its way to the President in the form of a massive ‘omnibus’ appropriations package that combines eleven fiscal year (FY) 2008 appropriations measures, as well as a supplemental war bill.
H.R. 2764, the Foreign Operations/ Consolidated Appropriations Bill for 2008, was passed by the House of Representatives by a vote of 206 to 201. Though the bill would provide a substantial increase for VA, lawmakers designated the extra $3.7 billion above the President’s budget request as ‘contingent emergency’ funding, which means the President must send a formal budget request to Congress by January 18 for the additional money to be available. President Bush has indicated he will sign the bill.
House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Steve Buyer (R-Ind.) commended and voted in favor of the passage of H.R. 2764, which would provide a record $43.1 billion in discretionary funding for VA healthcare, claims processing, personnel, construction, maintenance and other associated expenses.
“This is a generous bill that makes meaningful improvements in the VA system,” Buyer said. “The passage of this legislation is a tribute to the sacrifice of the men and women who serve in our nation’s armed forces.”
The omnibus bill would provide $124 million for VA to hire 1000 or more additional employees to bolster its compensation and pension claims processing system. In recent years, VA has struggled to reduce an ever increasing backlog of pending claims. In its FY 2008 budget justification, VA identified an increase in claims processing staff as essential to reducing the pending claims inventory and improving timeliness of decisions.
“VA faces a critical challenge in overcoming the claims backlog,” Buyer said. “VA has identified a need in facing this challenge and Congress has addressed that need. Yet, while increased staffing may be an integral part of the solution, it is not a complete remedy. VA must continue to develop its training programs, instill a greater sense of accountability among its employees, and make better use of information technology to deliver timely and accurate claims decisions. Until such improvements are made, the backlog will continue to generate significant difficulties for VA and disabled veterans.”
Additionally, the bill would provide $37.2 billion to the Veterans Health Administration, $4.5 billion over 2007 for veterans’ medical care. VA estimates it will treat more than 5.8 million patients in 2008, 54,000 more than fiscal year 2007.
The following provisions funding VA programs were included in H.R. 2764:
- Medical Services: $29 billion, $3.5 billion above FY 2007 levels to improve access to medical services for all veterans.
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse-- $2.9 billion, $100 million above FY 2007 levels; $429 million for the substance abuse progra
- Homeless Veterans Grant and Per Diem Program-- $130 million, $38 million above FY 2007 levels to help care for homeless veterans.
- Health Care Sharing Incentive Fund--$15 million to be used for joint programs with the Department of Defense to increase research, improve access to care, and ensure a more seamless transition for veterans, particularly in the areas of traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, increased survival of severe burns, and amputation.
- Medical Administration-- $3.5 billion, $339 million above FY 2007 levels
- Medical Facilities-- $4.1 billion, $530 million above FY 2007 levels for on-going maintenance and renovations of existing facilities.
- Medical and Prosthetic Research-- $480 million, $66 million above FY 2007 levels, for research to improve the quality of life for injured and aging veterans.
- Major Construction-- $1.1 billion, to fulfill VA’s commitment to fund recommendations made by the Capitol Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) Commission.
- Extended Care Facilities-- $165 million, $80 million above FY 2007 levels, for grants to states for construction and modification of extended care facilities. The funding level will satisfy all currently identified life and safety needs and still provide funding for the construction of three new facilities.
- General Operating Expenses-- $1.6 billion, $124 million above FY 2007 levels to enable the VA to hire more than 1,000 additional claims processors.
- Information Technology-- $2 billion, $752 million above FY 2007 levels, to improve the health records system to help ensure that medical information follows patients as they transition from the Department of Defense health system to the VA health system.
- Inspector General-- $80.5 million, $9.9 million above FY 2007 levels, will enable VA to hire 50 additional employees to provide necessary oversight of departmental operations, ensuring that resources are spent wisely and that veterans receive the quality care they deserve.
- United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims-- $22.7 million, $2.5 million above FY 2007 levels, to review veterans’ appeals.
- Cemetery Expenses-- $31.2 million, $1.2 million above FY 2007 levels.
###