The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S., the
nation’s largest organization of combat veterans, is applauding yesterday’s
announcement from House Veterans Affairs Committee leadership to fully fund the
Department of Veterans Affairs one year in advance.
House
VA Committee Chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla., and Ranking Member Mike Michaud,
D-Maine, introduced the “Putting Veterans Funding First Act of 2013,” or H.R.
813, which would require Congress to fully fund VA’s discretionary budget one
year ahead of schedule. The measure would ensure that all VA services would
have timely and predictable funding at a time of fiscal uncertainty for the nation.
“The
VFW applauds Chairman Miller and Ranking Member Michaud for coming together and
recognizing that our veterans deserve timely and predictable care and
benefits,” said VFW National Commander John Hamilton, a combat wounded Marine
Corps rifleman in Vietnam. “Regardless of the difficult fiscal decisions our
country may need to make, we can never abandon our responsibility to care for
the men and women who have borne the battle.”
VA
health care, which accounts for nearly 86 percent of the total VA budget, is
already funded one year in advance, thanks to VFW’s strong advocacy of the
Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009. Advance
appropriations for VA health care has allowed VA to deliver consistent care and
properly plan for future needs. The goal of H.R. 813 is to allow all of VA to
similarly plan for the future by investing in areas like information
technology, claims processing and construction.
The VFW urges swift passage of this much needed
bill.