The welfare of veterans is a priority for me. Our veterans are national heroes; by serving our nation they have ensured our freedom for generations to come. I firmly believe that those who have fought bravely for our country should be treated with the utmost respect and that all promises should be fulfilled.
To fulfill our commitment to our nation's veterans, since 1995, the total per-veteran spending has increased from $1,368 to $2,773, a 103 percent increase. In that same period of time, the number of veterans receiving care has increased from 2.5 million to 4.8 million, a 92 percent increase.
The FY 2006 federal budget provides $21 billion for veterans medical care, $1 billion above the Administration’s request. After determining the legitimate additional needs for FY 2006, my colleagues in Congress submitted a budget amendment request for an additional $2 billion in veterans funding which includes an additional $300 million for veterans medical care for this year. Recently, I voted in support of legislation to provide cost-of-living increases for disability payments for veterans, legislation to improve and enhance education, housing, employment and medical benefits for veterans, and for the enhancement of veterans health care.
In 2003, I introduced H.R. 3473, the Veterans Eye Treatment Safety Act (VETS ACT). This legislation ensured that only licensed surgeons may perform eye surgery at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities or under contract with the VA. I had serious concerns about non-physicians performing surgery related procedures on veterans through the Veteran’s Health Administration. I believe that veterans should receive the best health care possible. By allowing non-surgeons to perform such intricate surgery, which is already illegal in 49 states, patient safety is jeopardized. Our veterans deserve the best medical care we can give them. Fortunately, as a result of this legislation, the VA recently changed its policy to only allow surgeons to perform eye surgery on our nation's veterans.
