Administration's Meager Budget Proposals

by Chester Wisnesky, Department Commander

The Administration proposes a Veteran Administration (VA) health care budget of $28.1 billion for FY 2006. This is an insufficient meager increase given that there are thousands of new wounded veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan that are now being placed into the VA health care system.

This Administration's budget proposes new user fees and meager health care funding is another attempt to offset the Nation's budget deficit on the backs of our sick and disabled veterans.

The 2006 Independent Budget (IB), a comprehensive budget policy document co-authored by Disable American Veterans, Amvets, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and the VFW, has strongly recommended a $31.2 billion in funding for veteran's health care during FY 2006. This (IB) recommends a funding increase of $3.5 billion for FY 2006 that would realistically meet current inflation and the increased health care demands in our VA hospitals.

The increase does not include the excessive enrollment fees or the increased co-payments for prescriptions forwarded by this administration. We stand united in opposing these excessive fees and costs.

The recent press release of February 23, 2005 by the House Committee on Veterans Affairs stated, " The committee recommends a $230 enrollment fee for priority 7 veterans to bring balance and equity into the system." The committee recommends a sliding scale four tiered enrollment fee that the committee adopted for Priority 8 veterans, based on their incomes above the geographic means test.

The fees would be Tier 1-$230; Tier 2-- $250; Tier-3 $350; and Tier 4- $500. Yes, the Committee rejected the doubling of the prescription drug co-payment, however they adopted the enrollment fees of Priority 7 and 8 veterans on a sliding scale based on their incomes above the geographic means test.

As the VA continually remains under funded, in 2006 the VA will be unable to provide timely access of quality health care to our sick and disabled veterans and the new veterans coming into the system. What can you do to help? Now more than ever we all need to write letters, send e-mails, make phone calls, and visit your representatives and let everyone know what this Administration's budget proposals for FY 2006 are doing to our deserving veterans. These proposals are unacceptable by all veteran organizations.

With inadequate appropriations (funding) for next year, our health care and earned benefits will only continue to get worse. We all must continue to grassroots our legislators and representatives in Congress for Mandatory VA Health Care Funding; but until it becomes a reality, it is vital that the VA health care system gets the resources it needs in the appropriations process, and that the funding be provided at the beginning of the Fiscal Year instead of being delayed for months, as it happened so often in the past.

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