CAPITOL HILL REPORT

Congressional Actions Help Assure Adequate Healthcare For Veterans

By Congressman Bill Delahunt

Washington—Today I’m writing about an issue that I hear first-hand greatly concerns my constituents on Cape Cod, the Islands, and the South Shore–the need for more adequate care for our veterans.

Those who have put their lives on the line in service to our country deserve the best care when they return. Many who agreed to serve were promised access to health care and this solemn commitment should never be broken in the name of bureaucratic or budgetary efficiency.

Therefore, I am pleased to report that the Congress this fall passed legislation that was signed into law to authorize the greatest annual increase in veterans’ healthcare in history.

I’d like to share with you some of the details of this landmark legislation:

• Funds for the Department of Veterans Affairs would rise 14 percent over last year’s appropriation. This is five percent more than was requested by President Bush;
• $94.4 billion, a $3.6 billion increase, for the VA. The Veterans Health Administration would account for $41 billion, $1.8 billion more than requested by the Administration;
• $47.6 billion in discretionary funding for the VA, about $4.5 billion more than in FY 08 and $2.8 billion above the White House request;
• $510 million for trauma and health research and other VA studies designed to improve the quality of life for injured and aging veterans;
• $116 million more than the President’s requested amount for programs for next-generation prosthetics and sensory aids for veterans would receive;
• $30 million for the VA to designate between four and six healthcare facilities as locations for epilepsy centers and to designate an individual in the Vets Health Administration (VHA) as a national coordinator for VHA epilepsy programs;
• $8 million through fiscal 2012 for the VA to carry out research into PTSD through the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder;
• Authority for the VA to assign temporary disability ratings to qualified veterans within 365 days of receiving an application;
• $1.2 billion more to offset administration attempts to increase soldier’s fees to use the military’s Tricare healthcare system:
• $1.9 billion for VA medical facility projects and major medical facility leases around the country;
• Allows a qualified dependent survivor to receive and update evidence for benefits that were requested by a veteran before his or her death;
• Creates a new office to assist qualified dependent survivors to receive benefits and investigate issues;
• Extends the period of eligibility for dependent survivors to receive educational assistance to allow spouses of veterans with a service-connected disability to redeem the benefits within a 20-year window;
• And, it allows the VA to award grants to establish a sports program for disabled veterans to participate in U.S. Paralympics competitions and establish an Office of National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events

It is important to note how this will affect Massachusetts. In the Commonwealth alone, more than $1.8 billion worth of benefits, healthcare and other services will be provided for its veteran population from this legislation.

All of this news is welcome of course, but our vigilance must remain high. The creation and expansion of the Hyannis Community Based Outpatient Clinic, the successful battle to save the area’s four major medical centers from consolidation under CARES and the increased resources for patient care are important victories.

But the struggle to care for those who have worn the uniform is constant. It is my duty to keep working in Congress to fulfill that obligation–an obligation that I welcome and will uphold.