WASHINGTON – Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will continue to enroll all veterans in its health care system for next year.
"I thank President Bush for his leadership and am delighted that Congress and the White House are working together to find the money that will ensure veterans now and in the future have access to high quality health care," Principi said.
Principi said VA had looked closely at the possibility of limiting future enrollments for veterans who had no service-connected medical problems, whose income exceeded the low-income threshold and who were not already enrolled.
"I was faced with a tough decision," Principi said. "I was not willing to compromise on quality health care or scale back on our efforts to reduce waiting times."
