Kuhl Introduces Bill To Fully Fund Veterans Medical Care

KUHL INTRODUCES BILL TO FULLY FUND VETERANS MEDICAL CARE

Rep. John R. "Randy" Kuhl, Jr. (R-Hammondsport) today introduced the Mandatory Funding for Veterans Act of 2007 to fundamentally change the way the government funds the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical care system.

"We have an obligation to our nation's veterans to make sure that they are provided with the best possible medical care and benefits in exchange for the sacrifices they made to serve and protect us all," said Rep. Kuhl. "Making veterans funding mandatory rather than discretionary, just like other entitlement funds, will ensure that there is never a shortfall in funds for the medical care of our veterans and that the VA budget is not used politically.

"Making veterans' health care funding mandatory would put an end to year-to-year uncertainty about funding levels which have prevented the VA from being able to meet the growing needs of veterans who come to them seeking treatment," Rep. Kuhl continued. "Mandatory funding is a real solution to the problems that routinely plague the VA medical care system. I urge the Democrat leadership in Congress to take up this bill as soon as possible, especially in light of the poor conditions of military hospitals around the nation such as Walter Reed. It's about time Congress stepped up on this issue."

In testimony before the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Past Commander of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Alan W. Bowers said, "There is widespread agreement that the funding system, not the VA health care system, is in need of fundamental reform. The DAV, as part of the Partnership for Veterans Health Care Budget Reform, fully supports a mandatory funding mechanism as a long-term solution to this problem."

Under budget law, a mandatory program is one that requires provision of benefits to all who meet the eligibility requirements of the law. These are called "mandatory" programs because the authorizing law mandates funding sufficient to cover the expenses of the program, and funding is not subject to varying discretionary appropriations in the budget each year in Congress. The bill would shift the current funding for VA health care from a discretionary to a mandatory program, ensuring that the veterans' medical system was guaranteed to receive sufficient funding to treat entitled veterans under mandatory provisions as long as the authorizing law was in effect.

http://kuhl.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=60042