For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 11, 2004
Fact Sheet: Honoring the Courage of America's Veterans
Today's Presidential Action
Today, President Bush commemorated Veterans Day with a ceremony at
Arlington National Cemetery to honor the courage of America's Armed
Forces.
The President is committed to honoring our Nation's veterans, and
has proposed unprecedented levels of funding for veterans. His
Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) represents an increase in overall funding for our Nation's
veterans of almost $20 billion -- or 40 percent -- since FY 2001. It
includes a 41 percent funding increase in veterans' medical care
spending since FY 2001. President Bush's VA medical care budget
increases enable the VA to meet its core medical mission -- to serve
our highest- priority veterans, including low-income veterans, those
with service-related disabilities, and those who need the VA's
specialized services.
Our Nation's commitments are being kept by our military, and
President Bush has a strong record of supporting America's men and
women in uniform and their families. Since 2001, the President has
provided four consecutive pay raises for the military, improved
military housing for families living on base, and reduced to zero the
average housing expenses for military families living off base. In
2003, President Bush requested $87 billion in supplemental funding from
Congress to help ensure that the troops fighting the War on Terror have
the resources to accomplish their mission, including the newest body
armor and vital equipment, hazard pay, and health care. The President
has also increased monthly education benefits for reservists and Guard
members who have been mobilized to fight the War on Terror, and
permanently extended the availability of health care benefits for
reservists and their families immediately before and after deployment.
Honoring America's Veterans
President Bush honors America's
veterans and their families who have sacrificed for our Nation. Under
President Bush's leadership, the VA has dramatically improved health
care services and the disability claims process, and is reducing the
claims backlog and waiting times to receive medical treatment.
Improving Access to Health Care for Veterans
Increased Health Care Service to Veterans: Since 2001, President
Bush's budget requests have allowed the VA to enroll 2.5 million more
veterans in health care services, increase outpatient visits from 44
million to 54 million, and increase the number of prescriptions filled
from 98 million in 2001 to 116 million as of August 2004. Under the
President's leadership, 194 new community-based clinics have been
opened since 2001 and are now available for veterans.
CARES (Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services):
President Bush is seeking to modernize VA facilities and provide
more care to more veterans where they need it the most. He has
committed $1.5 billion in the FY 2004 and FY 2005 budgets (and
additional funding will be requested in the future) to increase
outpatient health care services for veterans, build new hospitals, and
replace outdated, pre-World War II facilities. The VA is working to
better distribute its network of clinics and hospitals, so that the
vast majority of veterans will be within 30 miles of a VA
community-based outpatient clinic or similar facility.
Expanded Access to Long-Term Care in the Most Non-Intrusive
Settings: President Bush's FY 2005 budget request continues to
expand long-term care for veterans through VA facilities, private and
state facilities, and non-institutional care programs that allow
veterans to live and be cared for near or in the comfort and familiar
settings of their homes surrounded by their families.
More Responsive to Veterans
Eliminating the Wait List for Medical Care: This year, the list
of veterans waiting more than six months for an appointment for
basic medical care -- which peaked at 300,000 -- has been essentially
eliminated.
Cutting the Disability Claims Backlog: The President promised to
reduce the disability claims backlog, and, at his request, Congress has
provided the VA with the resources it needs to reduce claims. Claims
backlogs have dropped from a high of 432,000 and are moving toward a VA
goal of 250,000. The volume of claims decisions per month has
increased from 40,000 to more than 70,000. The average length of time
to process a veteran's compensation claim has dropped from
approximately 230 days to 160 days.
Giving Priority to Service-Connected Needs: Treating veterans
with military disabilities, lower incomes, and special needs has
always been the VA's core medical care mission and its highest
priority. Under President Bush's leadership, the VA has established a
new scheduling system to ensure that veterans seeking care for a
service-connected condition are first in line. No veteran disabled in
the service of our Nation will ever be turned away.
Providing Concurrent Receipt of Benefits: The President twice
signed legislation providing "concurrent receipt" of both military
retired pay and VA disability compensation for those military retirees
most deserving -- combat-injured and highly-disabled veterans --
finally reversing a century-old law preventing concurrent receipt of
benefits.
Serving America's Veterans and Caring for Families of Veterans
Seamless Transition of Benefits for America's Newest Veterans:
Under President Bush's leadership, the VA is reaching out to 136
military bases to provide America's newest veterans with the services
they have earned and to bring about a seamless transition for new
veterans from military to civilian status. To date, more than 32,000
veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq have been provided VA
care.
Caring for Families of Veterans: The VA makes pensions based on
need available to surviving spouses and unmarried children of
deceased veterans with wartime experience. President Bush signed the
Veterans Benefits Act authorizing new and expanded benefits for
disabled veterans, surviving spouses, and children. To comfort
families and honor veterans with a hallowed, final resting place, the
President signed the National Cemetery Expansion Act of 2003 into law,
authorizing the future development of six new national cemeteries
across the country.
Help for Homeless Veterans: President Bush's 2003 budget expanded
community grants to all 50 states and the District of Columbia for the
first time in history, ensuring that homeless veterans most in need
have access to permanent housing, health care, and other support
services.