(D-Maine)
On this Veterans Day, I would like to personally thank the brave men and women who have answered our country’s call. I would also like to thank their families who bear an equally heavy burden. The freedom we enjoy is the result of the sacrifices of these brave Americans. This Veterans Day, like the previous several years, is especially important as our brave military personnel continue to risk their lives around the globe to protect our country. We pay tribute to the more than 3,800 Americans who have died in Iraq, as well as the 450 who have died in Afghanistan. We also honor the wounded: more than 28,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and more than 1,700 in Afghanistan.
As citizens, we need to understand that Veterans Day is for all those who wear the uniform – past, present and future. Their sacrifice makes our country strong. That is why we must make it a national priority to say thank you, not just today, but everyday. We say thank you with our words, but we must also say thank you with our actions.
As Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Health Subcommittee, I have worked with my colleagues to do just that. I am pleased to report that the week before Veterans Day, the U.S. House of Representatives sent the largest increase in funding for veterans health care in the 77 year history of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to the President. The appropriations bill that we passed increases the VA budget by $6.6 billion above the 2007 level and $3.7 billion above the President’s request.
The increased funding included in this bill will help address some concerns that I hear a lot about from Maine veterans. First, the bill’s increased funding will ensure that the VA will have more tools to increase overall access to health care. The bill increases the reimbursement rate for veterans who need to travel long distances for care from 11 cents per mile to 28.5 cents per mile. This additional funding will directly help Mainers who often have to travel many hours to reach VA facilities for health care.
A related issue is the VA’s claims backlog. With a backlog of 400,000 claims, veterans throughout the country are growing more and more frustrated by the VA’s inability to keep up and serve them promptly. While this bill may not take care of all backlog concerns, it will begin to aggressively cut down wait times by giving the VA enough funding to hire roughly 1,800 additional claims processors. A 177-day average waiting time for VA benefits is unacceptable, and this bill will begin to resolve the problem.
The funding will also be used to reduce waiting times for doctor appointments, and provide more help to veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), mental health care issues and lost limbs so that they can rebuild their lives. This type of funding increase is important because an estimated one-third of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are facing mental health challenges, and up to 300,000 troops are expected to return from Iraq suffering from TBI. To help combat these emerging health threats, the VA must devote the necessary resources for research, screening, and treatment. This bill helps VA get there.
I joined with a bipartisan group of colleagues to promote this increased funding for our veterans and I couldn’t be more pleased with this historic funding level. Passing this appropriations bill is a significant step forward that shows that this Congress is serious about following through on a commitment to providing our veterans with the best care possible.
Our veterans deserve our complete support, and this funding level helps us live up to our shared commitment to those who served. I will work with my colleagues so that we continue this commitment.
