I came to Congress convinced that if we have the money to fight the war, then we must have the money to treat the warrior.  And that is the foremost principle that should guide the future of the Department of Veterans Administration (VA).

 

At VA hospitals all across the country, there are veterans who must confront the physical and mental wounds of combat long after their military service has been completed. We can never fully repay them, but we have a moral obligation to thank and support them with not only our words, but our deeds. That means fully providing the VA with the resources it needs to adequately serve all veterans' health-care and disability needs.

 

Congress determines funding levels for the VA and thus dictates the future of the VA.  Previous Congresses ultimately failed America's veterans by passing budgets that left the VA shorthanded and woefully unprepared for the waves of future veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.  As Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, I am determined to change that.

 

In 2007, the new Congress increased health-care and benefits funding for veterans by $11.8 billion, the largest funding increase in the 77-year history of the Veterans Administration and a larger increase than the combined total of the six previous years in Congress.

 

For the 5.8 million veterans who use the VA health-care system, this funding increase will mean better care, more doctors and shorter waiting lines for medical appointments.  For the 600,000 veterans backlogged in the VA claims processing system, it will mean 3,100 new claims processors to reduce the unconscionable 6-month delay for those waiting to receive their earned benefits.  For Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, it will mean five years of free VA medical care.

 

Providing every resource that veterans have earned is the true commitment to honoring America's promise.  This should be the future of the VA.