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Senator Moore calls for increased funding for veteran services
March 2, 2007... In a letter to the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation, Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, and 70 of his legislative colleagues expressed serious concerns about President Bush’s Fiscal Year ‘08 budget recommendation for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). While the Bush Administration continues to tout its recommendation of $34.2 billion, an increase of $2 billion over the previous fiscal year, as a “landmark budget,” lawmakers point out that the reality is this 6% increase is barely enough to account for the cost of inflation, let alone the need for improvements in medical care and expansion of services. “We can’t send our servicemen and women into combat and then turn our backs on them when they come home, and that is what the Bush Administration is doing,” said Moore. “A 6% increase is not going to cut it if we are to provide veterans with the appropriate health care services they need and as a result, the state will have to step up to the plate.” Since September 11, 2001, more than 27,000 service members have returned home to Massachusetts in need of specialized services and care. In the letter, legislators called for the adequate funding needed to care for brain, spinal cord, and sight injuries as well as the growing need for mental health services according to the letter. Last March, the Veterans Health Administration’s Undersecretary for Health Policy and Coordination stated that some areas of the country did not have any mental health services available and that other areas had such long wait times that certain services were “virtually inaccessible.” For the past two years, many legislators have joined veterans in a fight to prevent the possible consolidation of the four existing VA medical care facilities in the greater Boston area into one “mega-plex.” They argued that the impact of displacing thousands of veterans, removing them from their familiar health care environment and physicians, would have consequences that could not be balanced by the creation of one modernized facility. A study conducted by the VA concluded that Massachusetts facilities needed improvements for medical equipment and upgrades. Lawmakers made it clear that they intend to see if the VA follows its own recommendations with real dollars. Legislators also expressed disappointment that the President’s proposal could continue to shut Category 8 veterans out of the VA health care system. Category 8 veterans, deemed “high income” veterans by the VA – some who make as little as $28,000 a year – have not been allowed to enroll in the VA health care system since 2003. The VA estimates that 1 million veterans have been turned away since then. Additionally, some Massachusetts veterans could see their prescription co-payments double by the end of this year under President Bush’s proposal. In addition to the letter sent to the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation, Sen. Moore has also signed onto a resolution sponsored by Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, D-Barre, which addresses the same concerns and calls for the Massachusetts Senate to urge President Bush and Congress to enact legislation providing adequate funding to the Department of Veterans Affairs. “It is high time this Administration write out the adequate paychecks these men and women who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, so deserve,” said Brewer. If the federal government sends our people overseas, then they have the responsibility to take care of these brave souls.” Massachusetts continues to be recognized on a national level for the benefits the state provides to its veterans. Congress is expected to take up the budget on the floor in March. For more information on Sen. Moore’s work on behalf of veterans, log onto his website at www.senatormoore.com/veterans |
