Vets groups urge Bush to OK extra VA funds

[unhappycamper]

Vets groups urge Bush to OK extra VA funds
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jan 7, 2008 17:41:14 EST

Several military service organization officials fear that because of some last-minute budgetary wrangling, $3.7 billion promised to the Department of Veterans Affairs health care program might not make it into the coffers.

Ten organizations have written a letter to President Bush asking him to sign an emergency designation to approve the funds immediately.

When Congress rolled a number of appropriations bills into one massive omnibus “Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008,” it included extra funds for VA that Bush had already said he would approve. Congress added the money — $3.7 billion more than Bush asked for in his 2008 VA budget proposal — because VA still has a backlog of 600,000 pending benefits claims and needs to hire and train people to process those cases, said Dave Autry, spokesman for Disabled American Veterans. The money would also go toward medical research for conditions such as traumatic brain injuries.

Under provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, Bush must sign off the emergency designation for VA by Jan. 18 for VA to receive the funds — and the veterans’ groups are concerned that he may renege on his earlier commitment.

“It’s $3.7 billion more than he asked for,” Autry said.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/01/military_va_budget_bush_080107w/