As you may know, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operates the largest direct health care delivery system in the country, providing care at over 800 locations to about 5 million veterans. As the veteran population continues to age over the next 20 years, the total number of veterans will decline from 25 million to 17 million. As VA patients are increasingly older and sicker and are receiving more costly treatments, however, VA’s cost per patient will continue to grow.

Our federal budget should honor veterans by properly funding the VA, resulting in the hiring of more qualified doctors and nurses to serve our veterans, shortened waiting times for doctor appointments, and more help to veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and mental health issues. After making sacrifices for our country, it is unconscionable to not provide veterans with the benefits they have earned.

Since 1995, the Department of Defense (DOD) and the VA have coordinated their medical care in the program known as TRICARE. TRICARE provides beneficiaries with the opportunity of choosing a health maintenance organization option, a preferred provider option, or a fee-for-service option.

In 2007, the Administration proposed reforming TRICARE, moving to a three-tier fee structure for retirees under age 65. The proposal includes higher enrollment fees for the Prime plan, new enrollment fees for the Standard plan, increased annual deductibles for the Standard plan, and higher pharmacy co-payments. These changes would apply to Priority Level 7/8 veterans, who do not have service disabilities or lower incomes. No fee changes are proposed for active-duty members or their dependents, or for retirees over 65 who participate in TRICARE for Life.

These changes are not acceptable. Raising TRICARE and pharmacy fees on retirees while the nation is at war would send a powerful negative message to veterans, who bravely served our country during its time of need. That’s why I have signed on as a cosponsor of H.R. 579, introduced by Rep. Chet Edwards (D-TX), which would amend title 10 of the U.S. code, in order to prohibit increases in fees for military health care.

Please know that proposals that would increase the amount of money veterans pay for health services have been repeatedly rejected by Congress, most recently during consideration of the FY2008 Defense Authorization Act, which passed, with my support, on January 16, 2008.

For more than a century, when a service member lost their life in service, their family received three things: a letter of condolence, a flag, and a death gratuity check for $12,000. I felt this was a slap in the face to the family of a soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice. So, I introduced H.R. 5055 and urged an increase in the death gratuity from $12,000 to $100,000, an effort that was included in the 2005 Emergency Supplemental Wartime Appropriations Act and is now law. This will not bring back a fallen soldier or ease a family’s sorrow, but it will help families in crisis through a tough financial time.

I heard a radio report that when combat troops came home for two weeks of Rest and Recuperation (R&R) our country only paid to transport them to a coastal city, like Baltimore. From there, they had to pay for transportation to their hometown. I sponsored an amendment to the defense supplemental spending bill to ensure that our troops using the R&R program would not have to pay for their own domestic travel. This provision was adopted and signed into law in 2004, and is currently being implemented by the Department of Defense.

One of the great rewards of serving as a Member of Congress is being able to provide individual casework assistance. My staff and I have advocated on behalf of thousands of active duty soldiers, military retirees, and veterans who are experiencing difficulties with pending VA claims, obtaining lost military medals, or other issues related to their service. While I cannot order a federal agency to decide a matter in someone’s favor, I can help you get a prompt response and cut through red tape. Please do not hesitate to contact my office if we can help you or your family in this way.