By Dennis Camire

WASHINGTON - With a new stream of war veterans coming home in need of healthcare and other services from the federal government, the new chairmen of Congress' two veterans affairs panels say they'll be asking for more money.

Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawai'i, chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said the Veterans Affairs Department's funding is inadequate to meet the needs of those coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan.

In particular, he pointed to the increasing numbers of military service people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, amputations and other problems.

"I'm going to have to make a big effort to try to increase the level of funding," he said.

"I'm proposing to do it by justifying it as a cost of war and not ... have us stand in line with other committees for whatever (money) is there in the treasury."

The VA's money woes stem in part from Congress' failure to complete the agency's annual spending bill, which would have increased funding by $3 billion this year. The VA has said it needed the additional money just to take care of veterans already in its system.

Without the new money, the agency is left operating under last year's spending levels and drawing criticism from veterans' advocates.

"The inability to finalize a budget leaves VA administrators guessing how much money they have to operate the nation's premier healthcare delivery system," said Paul A. Morin, national commander of the American Legion.

OTHER PRIORITIES

Akaka said he was working with the Senate's leaders on increasing the VA's spending.

Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., the new chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, agreed that more money is needed for the VA healthcare system.

He has other priorities as well: "Insuring timely and adequate funding for the VA, effectively addressing the mental health and transition concerns of our troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, improving Department of Defense and VA collaboration and updating the Montgomery GI Bill," Filner said.

Collaboration between the VA and the Pentagon, as a service member goes from active duty to veteran status, often leaves much to be desired, according to Akaka.

"They have fallen between the cracks ... and some of their records were not carried over," he said, adding that some service members have lost benefits because of the problems they have had in getting into the VA system. Fixing the so-called transition problem, he said, "is going to be difficult."

TRANSITION ISSUES

Joe Violante, legislative director for Disabled American Veterans, said the VA and Defense Department have worked on transition issues for at least seven years but have been unable to find a solution so far.

"It amazes me that men and women coming out of the military are falling through the cracks," he said. "It's hard to imagine why it's so difficult for the VA and Defense Department to wrap their arms around this thing and make it happen."

Violante said one problem is that service members who are separating from active duty for medical reasons receive examinations by Defense Department doctors but have to undergo another examination by VA doctors before they can get a disability rating.

That process is taking longer for an increasing number of veterans. In mid-January, about 600,000 cases were in the VA system with about 168,000 pending for at least six months. That compares with about 535,000 at the same time last year, with about 130,000 pending for at least six months.

Akaka said he believes the VA is overwhelmed by the caseload.

"We hear reports about veterans saying that they are told 'don't come back until four months from now to talk to us about your problem,' " Akaka said. "We can't let this happen."