January 3, 2008
BVA Legislative Alert for all members, contacts, regional groups.
Yesterday, the various legislative directors for several major veteran service organizations including BVA signed on to joint letter requesting that President Bush approve release of the additional funding that congress passed for VHA health care for FY 2008 two weeks ago. Below is copy of the letter with also a VFW call for ACTION ALERT to all members of VFW.
On behalf of the national veterans service organizations signed below, we respectfully ask you to invoke the emergency designation outlined in section 235 of Title II of Division I of the fiscal year (FY) 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Act, to provide a critically needed increase of $3.7 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). As enacted, this legislation requires you to make this emergency designation not later than January 18, 2008 in order for VA to receive any of the $3.7 billion increase approved by Congress.
For most of the past decade, the VA health care system has been operating in a highly challenging financial environment. In 2003, faced with growing waiting lists that resulted from chronic underfunding, then-VA Secretary Principi utilized his enrollment authority and cutoff access to VA health care for hundreds of thousands of veterans in Priority Group 8. In 2005, as the funding situation again reached crisis proportions, you requested, and Congress provided, significant emergency supplemental appropriations for veterans medical services. In 2006, similar conditions developed resulting in Congress once again providing VA with supplemental appropriations. In that same year, you submitted two budget amendments requesting further increases in VA health care funding, and Congress eventually provided those funds as well. This year Congress provided VA with yet another supplemental appropriation to cover health care, research and infrastructure needs for our deserving veterans.
Veterans benefits programs also have financial issues, particularly related to the backlog of over 600,000 unresolved disability compensation claims. We believe VA’s inability to effectively resolve this backlog relates at least in part to chronic shortages of financial resources provided to the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). Part of the emergency funding increase contained in section 235 of the Omnibus Appropriations Act would go directly toward this critical need.
Mr. President, we believe it is imperative that VA Secretary Peake be provided sufficient resources now to effectively deal with VA’s many challenges rather than allowing another funding crisis to develop. The VA health care system in particular requires additional funding to meet the needs of an aging generation of veterans, many of whom are disabled war veterans relying on VA health care because they have no alternative. In addition, VA must be fully prepared to meet the lifelong needs of a large and growing population of veterans disabled in the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
On behalf of the more than seven million veterans who hold membership in our organizations, we respectfully ask you to stand up for veterans by invoking the emergency designation procedure required to provide VA with an increase of $3.7 billion for fiscal year 2008. Thank you for your consideration and support of this request.
Sincerely,
Signatures of VSOs
Veterans Foreign Wars
Disabled American Veterans
AMVETS
Blinded Veterans Association
Paralyzed Veterans of America
Vietnam Veterans of America
Military Order Purple Heart
Jewish War Veterans
VFW Legislative Alert: Ask the President to Release Veterans Funding
Background:
The large funding bill that Congress sent to the President's desk included a
sizeable $2.9 billion increase for veterans health care and benefits. There is
an additional $3.7 billion in potential veterans funding - funding that would
fully meet the needs laid out by the VFW as part of the Independent Budget. VA
will receive this funding, however, only if the President declares it "emergency
spending." Without that declaration, VA will not get that additional increase.
Action Needed:
You must contact
the President to ask him to release the "emergency" funding for VA. The current
increase, while appreciated, is not enough, and VA must have the additional $3.7
billion to fully meet the needs of veterans.
The additional $3.7 billion (for a total increase of $6.6 billion) would allow
VA to:
• Hire additional claims processors and train staff to reduce the ever-growing
disability claims backlog
• Treat the tens of thousands of returning service members who put their lives
on the line in Iraq and Afghanistan, providing them with all the health care
they need, including full mental health coverage and treatment for traumatic
brain injuries and other war-related illnesses and disabilities.
• Care for the hundreds of thousands of sick and disabled veterans from other
conflicts, particularly as many of them grow older
• Begin construction and improve maintenance on a number of VA health care
facilities, expanding access and ensuring that veterans receive care in clean,
safe, and comfortable locations that meet their needs.
How To Contact
The President:
• Letters : The
White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
• Email:
comments@whitehouse.gov
• Phone: 202-456-1111
• Fax: 202-456-2461
Contact Congress
Too:
Let your
Representative and Senators know that you appreciate their efforts and urge them
to ask the President to release the full funding amount. Since your legislators
are on break for the Holiday, phone numbers for their district offices can be
found in your local phone book or you can look for contact info on their
WebPages:
www.senate.gov and
www.house.gov
The Blinded Veterans Association would urge all BVA members to join in on this along with the other veterans in asking for this money to be released.
Thanks
Tom Zampieri
Director Government Relations
Blinded Veterans Association
Washington DC
End of Document