Obama’s fiscal 2010 VA budget $15.1 billion more than ‘09

On May 7, President Barack Obama released his detailed fiscal 2010 budget request for the Department of Veterans Affairs. The request for all department functions totals $112.8 billion, an increase of $15.1 billion, or 15 percent, from the current year. This is the largest single-year increase in VA's budget in over 30 years. VA mandatory funding is pegged at $56.9 billion, while discretionary program funding is set at $55.9 billion.

The president's VA budget request anticipates an additional 122,000 patients being treated in the department's facilities by the end of fiscal 2010. VA expects a total of 6.1 million individual patients having received care, including 419,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who have separated from service. The budget also supports the administration's goal to expand VA health-care eligibility to more than 500,000 new enrollees by 2013, while maintaining quality and timeliness. The American Legion remains adamant, however, that all eligible veterans should be able to enroll now.

The budget proposal also seeks to address the delivery of health care for rural veterans, a seamless transition of servicemembers from the armed forces to the civilian world, specialized care for veterans of the Global War on Terrorism, improvements in the broken disability compensation claims process, and continuation of the high level of service at VA-managed national cemeteries.

The chart at the bottom of the page presents the major discretionary funding categories of VA's budget, showing funding for the current year, the president's fiscal 2010 budget request, and The American Legion's fiscal 2010 budget proposal as presented by National Commander David K. Rehbein last September.

The president's budget request is the "first draft" of VA's budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The Appropriations Committees in both congressional chambers will now begin the process of formulating the appropriations bills to fund the department's programs. The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

Supplemental spending Bills Pass Both Chambers

On May 14, the House of Representatives by a vote of 368-60 passed H.R. 2346, the fiscal 2009 supplemental funding measure. The Senate passed its version of the bill on May 21 by a recorded vote of 86-3. The main focus of the measure is to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The House version totals $96.7 billion, an increase of $13.3 billion from the president's original request. It includes $84.5 billion to fund DoD and intelligence programs related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Senate version totals $91.3 billion, an increase of $1.9 billion from the president's request. Among the foreign relations areas addressed in the respective versions of the bill are:
• $4.3 billion for economic assistance, diplomatic operations, and civilian personnel in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan in the House bill, $2.3 billion in the Senate version;
• $555 million for security assistance to Israel in the House measure;
• $360 million for economic, security and border security assistance for Egypt in the House version; and,
• $250 million for economic and security assistance for Jordan in the House bill, $150 million in economic assistance only in the Senate measure.

Specific areas in the supplemental request related to national security include:
• $3.6 billion for expanding and training the Afghan security forces in both measures; $3.2 billion for military construction programs in the House bill - compared to $2.25 billion in the Senate measure - to support the armed forces and their families, including hospitals, child development centers, and new hospitals in Maryland and Virginia to replace Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington;
• $1.3 billion to combat improvised explosive devices in the House bill, $1.1 billion in the Senate measure;
• $1.1 billion for military health care in the House measure, $909 million in the Senate version;
• $810 million to support coalition partners fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan in the House bill;
• $734 million to provide over 170,000 servicemembers who have had their enlistments involuntarily extended since Sept. 11, 2001, with $500 for every month they were held under stop-loss orders in the House measure; and,
• $400 million to Pakistani forces' counterinsurgency operations in both measures.

President Obama urged lawmakers not to add "unnecessary spending" to his request, but members of Congress will push many of their own projects and scrutinize the request for spending that could be part of the regular appropriations process. The two measures must now be reconciled by a conference committee before it can be signed into law.

First stage of advance appropriations bill passes

On June 10, the House Veterans' Affairs Committee held a mark-up session, approving a number of veterans' measures, most of them by voice votes. These bills will now go to the full House for further action.

The most important of these measures is H.R. 1016, the "Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009," which the committee passed by a vote of 23-0. Introduced by House VA Committee Chairman Bob Filner, D-Calif., the measure seeks to provide advance appropriations authority for certain VA medical-care accounts. The bill would require - beginning with fiscal 2011 - a two-fiscal-year discretionary new budget authority for the following VA accounts: Medical Services, Medical Support and Compliance, and Medical Facilities. These accounts would be the only VA discretionary appropriations accounts affected by the legislation, and the entire VA budget would still be subject to congressional scrutiny.

During consideration, House VA Committee Ranking Member Steve Buyer, R-Ind., offered an amendment. It would include the information technology and medical/prosthetic research accounts in the advance appropriations process. The amendment was adopted by a 17-8 vote.

The American Legion has long advocated a funding mechanism for discretionary VA medical care that guarantees timeliness, predictability, and sufficiency to serve veterans who use the VA health-care system. Last year, the Legion and fellow veterans service organizations advocated the use of advance appropriations for VA health-care appropriations. Advance appropriations would be approved prior to the start of the next fiscal year, with the possibility to address funding shortfalls during the course of the fiscal year. The Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee approved companion legislation, S. 423, on May 21.

The House committee also approved the following measures for further House action:
• H.R. 95. The "Compensation Owed for Mental Health Based on Activities in Theatre Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Act," was introduced by House VA Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Chairman John Hall, D-N.Y. It would define "combat with the enemy" - for purposes of proof of service-connection for veterans' disability compensation - as service on active duty in a theater of combat operations during a period of war or in combat against a hostile force during a period of hostilities.
• H.R. 1037 - The bill, introduced by Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin. D-S.D., is the "Pilot College Work Study Programs for Veterans Act of 2009." It directs the VA secretary to conduct a five-year pilot project to test the feasibility and advisability of expanding the scope of qualifying veterans' work-study activities, including positions available on site at educational institutions.
• H.R. 1098 - The "Veterans' Worker Retraining Act of 2009," introduced by Rep. Tom Perriello, D-Va., would increase the amount of educational assistance payments made by VA to individuals pursuing an apprenticeship or on-job training under several VA educational assistance programs. They include the Montgomery GI Bill educational assistance program, the Post-Vietnam Era Veterans educational assistance program, the Survivors and Dependents educational assistance program, and the Selected Reserve Montgomery GI Bill educational assistance program.
• H.R. 1172 - Introduced by Rep. John Boozman, R-Ark., this measure directs VA to include on its Web site a list of organizations that provide scholarships to veterans and their survivors and, for such organizations, a link to their Web site.
• H.R. 1211 - The bill, the "Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act," was introduced by Herseth Sandlin. It would require VA to study the barriers and services for women veterans, provide staff training to better treat sexual trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder, establish a child care pilot program for certain veterans receiving care, and allow VA to provide care for a newborn of a woman veteran receiving VA maternity care.
• H.R. 1821 - The bill, the "Equity for Injured Veterans Act of 2009," was introduced by House VA Chairman Filner. It would extend the eligibility period for training and rehabilitation through VA for veterans with service-connected disabilities until 15 years after the veteran's discharge from active-duty service. Under current law, the time frame is 12 years. It also allows a service-disabled veteran a subsistence allowance for six months of full-time employment training following completion of a vocational rehabilitation program (current law only allows for a two-month allowance). It further allows a veteran who has unused VA educational assistance entitlement to use such assistance to pursue a program of education as part of a vocational rehabilitation program, as long as VA approves the educational, professional, or vocational objective chosen. The measure also directs VA to provide reimbursement for child care to a veteran who is participating in a vocational rehabilitation program and is the sole caretaker of a child. Finally, it requires VA to include in annual budget materials submitted to Congress information on veterans receiving vocational rehabilitation assistance who became employed and achieved independence in daily living.
• H.R. 2180 - The bill, introduced by Rep. Harry Teague, D-N.M., prohibits VA from collecting a housing loan fee from any veteran who, but for the receipt of active service pay, would be entitled to compensation for a service-connected disability.

Co-sponsors for House, Senate flag-protection amendments

Since their respective introductions, Senate Joint Resolution 15 and House Joint Resolution 47 have been accumulating co-sponsors, who are listed below for each measure as of June 4.

Members of The American Legion family are urged to contact their representatives and senators. Ask your elected officials to become co-sponsors of the flag amendment; if your members are already on this list, be sure to contact them and thank them for their actions.

H.J. Res. 47 (introduced by Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo.) Judy Biggert, R-Ill.; Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.; Charles Boustany, R-La.; Henry Brown, R-S.C.; Steve Buyer, R-Ind,; Mike Conaway, R-Texas; Chet Edwards, D-Texas; Mary Fallin, R-Okla.; John Fleming, R-La.; Randy Forbes, R-Va.; Scott Garrett, R-N.J.; Phil Gingrey, R-Ga.; Bart Gordon, D-Tenn.; Steve Kagen, D-Wis.; Peter King, R-N.Y.; Tom Latham, R-Iowa; Robert Latta, R-Ohio; Frank LoBiondo, R-N.J.; Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.; Don Manzullo, R-Ill.; Jim Marshall, D-Ga.; Mike McCaul, R-Texas; John McHugh, R-N.Y.; Mike McIntyre, D-N.C.; Michael Michaud, D-Maine; Candice Miller, R-Mich.; Jerry Moran, R-Kan.; Randy Neugebauer, R-Texas; Erik Paulsen, R-Minn.; Todd Platts, R-Pa.; Bill Posey, R-Fla.; Bill Shuster, R-Pa.; Mike Simpson, R-Idaho; Ike Skelton. D-Mo.; Christopher Smith, R-N.J.; Harry Teague, D-N.M.; Todd Tiahrt, R-Kan.; Joe Wilson, R-S.C.;Frank Wolf, R-Va.; C.W. Bill Young,R-Fla.; Roy Blunt, R-Mo.; John Boehner, R-Ohio; Steve Buyer, R-Ind.; Travis Childers, D-Miss.; Randy Forbes, R-Va.; Scott Garrett, R-.N.J.; Daniel Lipinski, D-Ill.; Cynthia Lummis, R-Wy.; Gary Miller, R-Calif.; Tim Murphy, R-Pa.; David Roe, R-Tenn.

S.J. Res. 15 (introduced by Sen. David Vitter, R-La.); Evan Bayh, D-Ind.; Sam Brownback, R-Kan.; Jim Bunning, R-Ky.; Richard Burr, R-N.C.; Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga.; Tom Coburn, R-Okla.; Thad Cochran, R-Miss.; Mike Crapo, R-Idaho; Jim DeMint, R-S.C.; Michael Enzi, R-Wyo.; Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; James Inhofe, R-Okla.; Johnny Isakson, R-ga.; Mike Johanns, R-Neb.; Richard Lugar, R-Ind.; Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; James Risch, R-Idaho; Pat Roberts, R-Kan.; Richard Shelby, R-Ala.; Olympia Snowe, R-Maine; Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.; John Thune, R-S.D.; Roger Wicker, R-Miss.; Susan Collins, R-Maine; Olympia Snowe, R-Maine.

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