Veterans Praise President's Support For Health Care Funding Reform

Main Category: Veterans / Ex-Servicemen
Article Date: 15 Apr 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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The Disabled American Veterans applauded President Obama's statement of support for advance appropriations to provide sufficient, timely and predictable funding for veterans health care.

"The President has made it clear that he firmly believes the quality of care that our veterans receive should never be threatened by budget delays," said DAV National Legislative Director Joseph A. Violante. "As a Senator, he co-sponsored an advance appropriations bill and pledged on the campaign trail that his administration's first budget would recommend passage of advance appropriations legislation. Today, he publicly affirmed that as President of the United States."

At today's White House briefing on a joint Defense-VA initiative to create a single, electronic record system, the President noted that he and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki have worked together to support providing VA medical care appropriations one year in advance of the start of each fiscal year. This would help end funding delays that have plagued the VA when Congress has failed to pass appropriations bills on time.

Advance appropriations legislation, the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act, was introduced in both the House and Senate earlier this year, and the Senate-passed budget supported this concept in a bipartisan manner.

"The Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act would provide timely and predictable funding from year to year, but more important, it would mean better care for our veterans. That is something the President, Congress and veterans all agree is absolutely vital," said Violante.

The DAV and the eight other members of the Partnership for Veterans Health Care Budget Reform, a growing coalition of military and veterans groups, former VA officials and hospital directors and an overwhelming majority of American voters all support legislation to fund veterans health care funding one year in advance.

The Partnership for Veterans Health Care Budget Reform is comprised of AMVETS, Blinded Veterans Association, Disabled American Veterans, Jewish War Veterans, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Paralyzed Veterans of America, The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Vietnam Veterans of America.

The 1.2 million-member Disabled American Veterans, a non-profit organization founded in 1920 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1932, represents this nation's disabled veterans. It is dedicated to a single purpose: building better lives for our nation's disabled veterans and their families. For more information, visit the organization's Web site, http://www.dav.org.

Source
Disabled American Veterans

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