Long-delayed veterans spending bill approved.President Bush has signed legislation that provides $51 billion for veterans programs, a $3 billion increase over the fiscal year 2001 level. The $112.7 billion VA-HUD appropriations bill, Public Law 107-73 (H.R. 2620), provides $27.3 billion for mandatory programs and $23.8 billion in discretionary funding for the VA including $21.3 billion for veterans medical care. This is $1.5 billion less than recommended by the Independent Budget for medical care and $2 billion less for total discretionary funding. (See the March/April 2001 DAV See WebDAV. Magazine.) "Although the measure provides a welcome funding increase, it is less than adequate to maintain the current level of health care and other services for the nation's disabled veterans," said DAV Washington Headquarters Executive Director David W. Gorman. Action on the appropriations measure for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1, 2001, was delayed for more than a month as Congress and the White House focused on the war in Afghanistan and other matters in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The VA and other government agencies were kept in operation by a series of short-term Short-term Any investments with a maturity of one year or less. short-term 1. Of or relating to a gain or loss on the value of an asset that has been held less than a specified period of time. funding measures known as continuing resolutions A continuing resolution is a type of appropriations legislation used by the United States Congress to fund government agencies if a formal appropriations bill has not been signed into law by the end of the Congressional fiscal year. until work was completed on their fiscal year 2002 appropriations. In signing the VA-HUD appropriations measure, President Bush noted that it includes $955 million for the VA's duty to assist initiative to improve performance in claims processing and to assist veterans with their claims. The President's budget request called for hiring 890 full-time employees to help deal with a backlog Backlog The total value of sales orders waiting to be fulfilled. Notes: This figure is used mainly in the manufacturing industry. Increases or decreases in a company's backlog indicate the future direction of sales and earnings. in claims processing. "VA is already understaffed in its claims processing personnel, yet it also desperately needs an infusion of substantial numbers of new employees to offset the expected retirement of many of its experienced adjudicators in the near future. It is absolutely crucial that the VA have the resources to hire and train additional staff to clear the claims backlog and improve the overall quality and timeliness of the claims adjudication The legal process of resolving a dispute. The formal giving or pronouncing of a judgment or decree in a court proceeding; also the judgment or decision given. The entry of a decree by a court in respect to the parties in a case. process," said Mr. Gorman. Currently, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) A subset of Visual Basic that provides a common language for customizing Microsoft applications. VBA supports COM, which allows a VBA script to invoke internal functions within Excel, Word and other COM-based programs or to make use of ) has a backlog of some 668,000 claims for benefits, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a report by the VA's Claims Processing Task Force. (See the November/December DAV Magazine.) VA adjudicators take an average of 200 days to process disability compensation and pension claims. That delay is expected to grow to 273 days this year. "VA must train both its new and experienced adjudicators as well as increase staffing levels to meet the workload The term workload can refer to a number of different yet related entities. An amount of labor While a precise definition of a workload is elusive, a commonly accepted definition is the hypothetical relationship between a group or individual human operator and task demands. demands," said DAV National Service Director Kenneth D. Wolfe. "VA also must devote sufficient time to claims development and analysis in decisions to allow for complete records, thorough reviews of the law and evidence, and well-reasoned, well-explained decisions. Additional resources must be devoted to quality assurance, performance, and accountability." "The $1 billion increased appropriation The designation by the government or an individual of the use to which a fund of money is to be applied. The selection and setting apart of privately owned land by the government for public use, such as a military reservation or public building. for veterans medical care still leaves a significant shortfall Shortfall The amount by which the capital required to fulfill a financial obligation exceeds available capital. Notes: Shortfall risk is often combated with an efficient hedging strategy created by a fund, group, institution, or individual. in needs identified in the Independent Budget," said Mr. Gorman. "This continues to threaten the quality and timeliness of health care for our nation's veterans. It is especially troubling in light of the very real possibility that the demands on VA will increase as a result of the war on terrorism Terrorist acts and the threat of Terrorism have occupied the various law enforcement agencies in the U.S. government for many years. The Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, as amended by the usa patriot act ." "During the months ahead, the DAV will again be urging Washington to make veterans a national priority," said National Legislative Director Joseph A. Violante. "Our government must honor As a verb, to accept a bill of exchange, or to pay a note, check, or accepted bill, at maturity. To pay or to accept and pay, or, where a credit so engages, to purchase or discount a draft complying with the terms of the draft. its commitment to veterans and the funding and policy recommendations set forth in the annual Independent Budget are based on a well-reasoned analysis of veterans' needs." For the past 16 years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time Independent Budget, co-authored by the DAV, AMVETS AMVETS abbr. American Veterans , the Paralyzed Veterans of America The Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) is a congressionally-chartered veterans' service organization in the United States of America, founded in 1946. It describes itself as having "developed a unique expertise on a wide variety of issues involving the special needs of our members , and the VFW See Video for Windows. , has provided the Administration and members of Congress a veterans' perspective on federal spending and national policy priorities and the resources necessary to meet those needs. "The Independent Budget has been the primary resource for a meaningful dialog on such important issues as disability compensation, health care, and other benefits and services for veterans and their dependents. These well-considered policy and funding recommendations are based on a critical analysis of the needs of the men and women the VA was created to serve," said Mr. Violante. "And DAV members across the country will once again be in the forefront of efforts to ensure that our elected officials live up to this nation's commitment to veterans."
Highlights of Fiscal Year 2002 VA Appropriations
(Dollars in Thousands)
Selected Programs Fiscal Year 2001 Fiscal Year 2002
and Budget Accounts Appropriations Independent Budget
Recommendation
Medical Care $20,202,000 $22,869,000
Medical & Prosthetic 350,000 395,000
Medical Administration &
Operating Expenses 62,000 74,000
General Operating Expenses
(VBA & General Administration) 1,050,00 1,213,00
Construction, Major Projects 66,000 374,000
Construction, Minor Projects 166,000 431,000
Grants for Construction of
State Extended Care Facilities 100,000 100,000
Grants for Construction of
State Veterans Cemeteries 25,000 30,000
National Cemetery
Administration 110,000 119,000
Selected Programs Fiscal Year 2002 Fiscal Year 2002
and Budget Accounts President's Appropriations
Budget Request (H.R. 2620)
Medical Care $20,980,000 $21,331,164
Medical & Prosthetic 360,237 371,000
Medical Administration &
Operating Expenses 67,628 66,731
General Operating Expenses
(VBA & General Administration) 1,194,831 1,195,728
Construction, Major Projects 183,180 183,180
Construction, Minor Projects 178,900 210,900
Grants for Construction of
State Extended Care Facilities 50,000 100,000
Grants for Construction of
State Veterans Cemeteries 25,000 25,000
National Cemetery
Administration 121,000 121,169
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