| WASHINGTON, D.C. – After years of inadequate funding, Congressman Marion Berry (AR-01) along with a bipartisan coalition, voted to provide the Veterans Administration the largest single increase in the agency’s 77 year history. The House passage of the Military Construction and Veterans Appropriations bill is strongly endorsed and hailed as a ‘major victory’ and ‘impressive commitment’ by all of the major veterans’ organizations. With the passage of this appropriations bill, the joint resolution, and the supplemental bill earlier this year, the110th Congress has voted for unprecedented increases in veterans’ health care and benefit programs totaling nearly $12 billion dollars.
"This significant 'plus-up' for the VA is great news not only for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, but also for veterans of earlier conflicts," said Colonel Jerry W. Bowen, US Army (Ret.) and former VA Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs. "Congressman Marion Berry and other House Legislators should be commended for taking appropriate action on this long overdue VA budget increase. Hopefully, the Bush administration will also do the right thing and sign this important bill. Wars are expensive. But in order to honor our soldiers, we must remain committed to funding veterans' healthcare long after the last bullet has been fired."
“When the new Congress began this year, we were committed to providing our brave men and women the benefits they were promised when they answered our country’s call to duty,” said Berry. “This legislation will improve veterans’ healthcare by hiring more qualified medical professionals and provide additional funding for veterans who are suffering from illnesses like traumatic brain injuries and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I’m proud to support this bill because it not only will give veterans the care and resources they deserve, it will also help them rebuild their lives.”
Congressman Berry’s vote also gives military construction a historic funding increase. The bill fully funds the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) recommendations, which was created to achieve maximum efficiency of U.S. military operations. In addition the bill increases funding to improve training and quality of life facilities for active duty troops and members of the National Guard and Reserve.
Key Provisions of the Bill
- The budget for VA medical care exceeds the budget of the veterans’ service organizations for the first time in history. This will ensure quality health care for 5.8 million patients, including about 263,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, which the VA will treat in FY 2008.
- Reduces claims backlog for veterans waiting for disability and other benefits by adding more than 1,100 new claims processors.
- Provides $500 million above the President’s request for desperately needed maintenance of VA health care facilities to prevent a Walter Reed-type scandal from happening again.
- Provides $600 million more than the President’s request for mental health, PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury.
- Increases the mileage reimbursement rate under the beneficiary travel program administered by the Secretary of Veterans' Affairs from 11 cents to 22 cents per mile.
- Provides $2.9 billion for military housing, supporting the elimination of a further 13,727 inadequate family housing units.
- Provides $8.2 billion to implement base closures and realignments, as well as the re-stationing of 70,000 troops and their families from overseas to the United States.
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