Rooney: VA Approps Bill Boosts Funds, Improves Services for Veterans

Statement

U.S. Representative Tom Rooney (FL-17), a member of the House Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee and a veteran of the U.S. Army, today issued the following statement on House passage of the FY2014 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bill:

"In a time of tight budgets, taking care of our nation's veterans has to remain our top priority. If we don't keep our promises to those who wore the uniform, what would that say about who we are as a country, and how could we expect future generations of Americans to serve?

"The most pressing issue facing the VA -- and the issue most important to the tens of thousands of veterans in my district -- is the backlog of disability claims, which is on track to reach one million. This is simply unacceptable, and our veterans deserve better. I have urged President Obama and VA Secretary Shinseki to take immediate action to eliminate the backlog, and our bill ensures they have the resources to do just that, while implementing new reporting requirements so we can hold them accountable for getting results."

Key funding provisions to support American veterans include:

* $63.1 billion ($2.1 billion above FY13) in total VA funding;
* $155 million for a paperless claims process system, and $136 million for digital scanning of health records, to address the disability claims backlog;
* $344 million to jumpstart a coordinated DoD-VA electronic health care system and move toward a seamless health care access transition for troops and veterans; and,
* $43.6 billion for medical treatment for 6.5 million VA patients. Includes treatment for traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other invisible wounds.

The bill also implements strict reporting requirements to track the performance of each regional office dealing with VA disability claims to improve Congressional oversight and hold VA accountable for the disability backlog.

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