Washington, DC (February 14, 2007) - Today, the Subcommittee on Health held an oversight hearing on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) FY 2008 budget request for the VA health care system.
Acting VA under secretary for health, Dr. Michael J. Kussman, presented the administration’s $36.6 billion request for medical care, a total more than 83 percent higher than the funding available when President Bush took office in 2001.
Subcommittee Ranking Member Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) commended the transformation of the VA health care system over the past decade from one with a lackluster reputation to one that is highly rated and highly regarded for the quality of care it provides our veterans.
Record spending for veterans’ health care passed during the Republican control of Congress was crucial to achieving this recognition.
The administration requests nearly $3 billion for mental health services, including $360 million to continue implementation of mental health initiatives begun in 2005 to address deficiencies and gaps in services.
“While the administration’s request for mental health services is substantial, last September, the Government Accountability Office reported that VA had not used all of the mental health funds Congress allocated in 2005,” Miller said. “We must have a better handle on how much and in what way VA is spending its resources to meet the emerging demand for mental health care, especially post traumatic stress disorder.”
The subcommittee also heard testimony from Joseph T. English, M.D., a board member of the American Psychiatric Association; Gary Ewart, on behalf of Friends of VA Medical Care and Health Research, who called the VA medical and prosthetic research program “one of the nation’s premier research endeavors”; and Patrick Campbell, legislative director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, who called for mandatory mental health screening of all U.S. servicemembers.
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