Statement of Rep. Lane Evans (D-IL)

on the President’s FY ’07 VA Budget Submission

We must always prioritize the federal budget to ensure sufficient resources are provided for veterans’ health care and benefits.  It will take further analysis to determine what is right about the President’s latest budget submission and what might be concealed. 

The Administration’s past budgets have proven to be critically flawed and inadequate, which understandably leads those in Congress charged with developing views on this budget to approach it with some measure of skepticism regarding the President’s claims.

Every year, the VA requires a significant budget increase for health care just to keep pace.  Far too often we have seen this Administration fail to ask for real dollars and instead rely on dubious accounting practices and unrealistic budget projections.  As we further study this budget submission we must make sure that real dollars are provided to meet the real needs of our veterans.  In light of last year’s critical budget shortfall in veterans’ health care and recent GAO reports casting doubt on the Administration’s accounting practices in developing the VA budget, I intend to carefully review through hearings and other inquiry the assumptions and amounts in the President’s submission.

I am concerned that a significant portion of any increase identified within the medical care account of the President’s VA budget request is attributable to fixed costs, such as staffing and inflation, unproven management efficiencies, and dead-on-arrival legislative proposals.

I am disappointed that the President, just months after increasing veterans’ prescription copayments, once again is calling for some veterans to pick up more of the tab for their own health care through a $250 enrollment fee and increased pharmacy copayments.  This is the fourth year this Administration has offered these proposals and every single year Congress has rejected them.  The reason the Administration is so adamant about the proposals is that they wish to drive down demand, as VA projections indicate one out of five Priority 7 and 8 veterans would leave the system.  This is in addition to the more than a quarter million veterans this Administration has already shut out of the VA health care system altogether.

Further, I am concerned that the President wants to cut VA research.  VA is a world leader in prosthetics research and must continue to develop cutting edge prosthetics so needed by our new veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.  Reducing funding at this time not only is not warranted, but is unwise.

I will work with my colleagues in Congress to improve on the President’s VA budget submission.  Our veterans and military families deserve our best efforts and best services.
 

(go back to VA Watchdog dot Org Home Page)

Now we have VA Watchdog Stuff

Cups, Hats, Shirts and more

Click here to order and support the site

Here's the link to subscribe to HOUSE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS DEMOCRATIC NEWS

as an RSS feed

Email me at  larry@vawatchdog.org