President's proposed budget: shortchanges veterans.President Bush's fiscal year 2005 budget for the VA drastically reduces the number of workers handling veterans' claims for benefits and severely underfunds health care, 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. an assessment by the DAV See WebDAV. . The $67.7 billion Administration budget proposal calls for $26.9 billion in appropriations for VA medical care, a mere 1.2% increase above the 2004 level, while increasing co-pays for prescriptions and charging a $250 annual user fee for higher income veterans who do not receive compensation for a service-connected disability. In all, the fiscal year 2005 blueprint blueprint, white-on-blue photographic print, commonly of a working drawing used during building or manufacturing. The plan is first drawn to scale on a special paper or tracing cloth through which light can penetrate. assumes an additional $2.4 billion in collections from veterans and reimbursements from private insurance companies. "It is clear that the President's budget plan attempts to shift the burden for funding veterans health care to those brave men and women who have served and sacrificed for our country. It is utterly disgraceful dis·grace·ful adj. Bringing or warranting disgrace; shameful. dis·grace  ful·ly adv. to shortchange short·change tr.v. short·changed, short·chang·ing, short·chang·es 1. To give (someone) less change than is due in a transaction. 2. America's veterans at a time when this government has placed so many of our troops in harm's way harm's way n. A risky position; danger: a place for the children that is out of harm's way; ships that sail into harm's way. in the war on terror This article is about U.S. actions, and those of other states, after September 11, 2001. For other conflicts, see Terrorism. The War on Terror (also known as the War on Terrorism , considering that many of them will need VA medical care for decades to come," said DAV National Commander Alan W. Bowers Bowers is a surname, and may refer to
Under the Administration's plan, pharmacy pharmacy, art of compounding and dispensing drugs and medication. The term is also applied to an establishment used for such purposes. Until modern times medication was prepared and dispensed by the physician himself. In the 18th cent. co-payments would increase from $7 to $15 per prescription for veterans in priority groups 7 and 8. But pharmacy co-payments for most other groups would be reduced and would be eliminated for former prisoners of war prisoners of war, in international law, persons captured by a belligerent while fighting in the military. International law includes rules on the treatment of prisoners of war but extends protection only to combatants. . Last year. Congress rejected similar proposals to charge user fees and increase prescription co-payments. And indications are that lawmakers will again reject such cost-sharing schemes. "There is a very real concern again this year that charging a user fee and boosting out-of-pocket costs out-of-pocket costs Managed care Health care costs that a covered person must pay out of pocket–eg, coinsurance, deductibles, etc. See Copayment. for prescriptions will drive some veterans away from the VA medical system, which actually provides top quality care very efficiently," said National Legislative Director Joseph A. Violante. "If veterans are forced out of the VA medical system, many will be left without access to affordable health care." If Congress does not provide funding substantially above what the President has requested for VA health care, veterans needing medical attention for illness will wait longer for appointments and some veterans will be denied care altogether," Violante said. The President's requested 1.2% increase above the 2004 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 is less than the rate of inflation and actually represents a reduction in funding, Violante explained. At least $29.8 billion in VA medical care appropriations is needed to care for sick and disabled veterans currently enrolled in the system, according to The Independent Budget, co-authored annually by the DAV, AMVETS AMVETS abbr. American Veterans , 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 Veterans of Foreign Wars. In addition, the President's budget threatens veterans programs by requesting a reduction in personnel for VA's 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 ) to process and decide benefit claims. The President's budget recommends 12,198 full-time employees for VBA in fiscal year 2005. That is 829 fewer employees than VBA had at the end of fiscal year 2003. The Independent Budget recommends 13,184 full full-time employees for VBA in fiscal year 2005. Those and other funding levels and policy recommendations for veterans programs and services are detailed in The Independent Budget, which provides Congress and the Administration a veterans' perspective on the issues affecting the men and women who have served and sacrificed for the country. The Independent Budget notes that the budget and appropriations for veterans programs for fiscal year 2005 will once again line up as discretionary spending in competition with all other domestic discretionary programs funded by the federal government. The Independent Budget authors have become increasingly alarmed that this annual battle for funding has failed to meet the true needs of the veteran population. Dollar amounts provided for veteran:, health care under discretionary appropriations are never adequate in the push and pull of the congressional process. Furthermore, judging from the experiences of the past two years alone, Congress has failed to even pass a VA appropriations bill until months into the fiscal year, leaving VA facilities limping along on wholly inadequate 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. . The VA medical system alone does not suffer in this process; veterans do--veterans waiting months for a doctor's appointment or hours for a nurse to answer a call button. This year, as in the past, The Independent Budget authors call on Congress to find a better way to fund veterans health care by removing that portion of the VA budget froth the battle over annual discretionary spending and establishing a formula to provide VA health care funding from the mandatory side of the federal budget. This would assure the VA an adequate and timely flow of dollars to meet the needs of the nation's sick and disabled veterans. "With the ballooning federal deficit and substantial increases in defense and homeland Security Noun 1. Homeland Security - the federal department that administers all matters relating to homeland security Department of Homeland Security executive department - a federal department in the executive branch of the government of the United States spending, the DAV faces months of hard work ahead to achieve adequate support for veterans programs and services," Violante said. "The DAV will continue to be an active participant throughout the entire budget and appropriations process, and we will forge ahead with our grassroots campaign for mandatory funding."
Fiscal Year 2005 VA Budget Comparison
(Dollars in Millions)
Fiscal Year 2004 Fiscal Year 2005
Selected Programs and Appropriations President
Budget Accounts Enacted Budget Request
Medical Care $26,630 $26,939
Medical Research $405 $384
National Program
Administration $78 $78
General Operating Expenses
(VBA & General Admin.) $1,275 $1,324
Construction, Major Projects $271 $458
Construction, Minor Projects $250 $230
Grants for Construction of State
Extended Care Facilities $101 $105
Grants for Construction of State
Veterans Cemeteries $31 $32
National Cemetery Administration $143 $148
Fiscal Year 2005
Selected Programs and Independent Budget
Budget Accounts Recommendation
Medical Care $29,791
Medical Research $460
National Program
Administration $86
General Operating Expenses
(VBA & General Admin.) $1,617
Construction, Major Projects $571
Construction, Minor Projects $545
Grants for Construction of State
Extended Care Facilities $150
Grants for Construction of State
Veterans Cemeteries $37
National Cemetery Administration $175
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