Bill funding veterans’ care, military construction passes House
6/15/2007
Washington, D.C.
Press Releases
Congress passed the Military Construction & Veterans Affairs funding bill for veterans’ healthcare, support for military facilities and new measures to hold the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) accountable for services they provide to veterans.
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Military Construction & Veterans Affairs funding bill by an overwhelming bipartisan majority. The bill includes record funding for veterans’ healthcare, support for military facilities and new measures to hold the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) accountable for the service they provide to veterans.
"Our veterans are our heroes, and we must honor them with both our words and our deeds," said Reyes. "Through this legislation, we will ensure our veterans have the resources and benefits they have earned and help improve facilities like the El Paso VA Health care Center."
The 2008 Military Construction & Veterans Affairs funding bill includes the largest single funding increase in the 77 year history of the Veterans Administration. The bill will:
Significantly reduce the 400,000 claims backlog for veterans waiting for disability and other benefits by adding more than 1,100 new claims processors.
Support critical maintenance of VA health care facilities.
Make five polytrauma centers and three Centers of Excellence for Mental Health and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) fully operational this year. The centers will care for those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Support the development and operation of a toll-free telephone and web-based hotline for veterans to report on deficiencies in VA medical facilities and care.
The bill also provides significant funding for military construction projects at Fort Bliss, including:
- $487 million for the continued implementation of the 2005 BRAC round and the restationing of units from overseas.
- $103 million for a Brigade Combat Team complex (this is the first increment of funding to construct the third BCT complex)
- $90 million for a Combat Aviation Battalion facilities (this is the second increment of funding to construct these facilities)
- $70 million for a Brigade Combat Team complex (this is the second increment of funding to construct the second BCT complex)
- $55 million for site infrastructure (this authorizes phase two of efforts to build roads, establish utilities, and prepare Biggs Army Airfield for the influx of new troops)
- $49.9 million for an Armed Forces Reserve Center
- $42 million for a Consolidated Soldier Medical and Dental Clinic
- $22 million for a Fitness Center
- $18.5 million for Combined Arms Training Facility
- $15 million for a Digital Multipurpose Training Range
- $6.1 million for an Information Process Center
- $6.1 million for a Close Combat Tactical Training Facility
- $3.2 million for a Convoy Live Fire Training Facility
- $2.4 million for an Automated Infantry Squad Battle Course
- $2.3 million for an Urban Assault Course
- $2 million for a Youth Center
- $146 million to facilitate the Future Combat Systems (FCS) program being tested at Fort Bliss and the Grow the Army initiative, a nation-wide Army effort to increase new active duty troops by 65,000.
- $84 million for a Unit Operations Facility project, which includes motor pools and operations facilities both in the main cantonment area and at Biggs Army Airfield to support the FCS Army Evaluation Task Force (AETF), a new military police battalion, and a new Explosive Ordinance Disposal company.
- $35.6 million for family housing improvements. With these funds, the Residential Communities Initiative (RCI) contractor will expand and improve housing for incoming military families.
- $16.5 million for a health and dental clinic. This will supplement existing efforts under BRAC to construct these needed military medical facilities.
- $11.4 million for barracks, which will mainly house soldiers from the AETF.
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