Three veterans service organizations have released their budget recommendations for the Department of Veterans Affairs and are calling on Congress to support the nation’s veterans fully.
Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars on Friday released their Independent Budget Recommendations for VA for Fiscal Years 2025 and 2026.
A release from the VSOs notes that the Independent Budget’s (IB) recommendations, along with the Biden Administration’s yet-to-be-released FY 2025 budget proposal, will be used to guide Congress with its spending decisions for the coming year. By law, the President must submit a budget proposal to Congress no later than the first Monday in February, but that deadline has been routinely missed over the past two decades. Congress has also failed to pass a full-year federal budget for FY 2024, which began last Oct. 1, requiring passage of a series of continuing resolutions that will run out in March.
“Not having a timely budget for one of the most complex federal government agencies is detrimental to the safety and well-being of all those who fought for this country – especially to those with catastrophic injuries and illnesses,” said Carl Blake, chief executive officer of PVA. “Not only that, it causes major problems that could set back years of progress and, most importantly, produces undue anxiety for countless veterans, their families, and survivors.”
Blake said that while VA is largely protected from government shutdowns thanks to its advance appropriations, the use of continuing resolutions hampers its ability to focus on meeting the demand for the care and benefits it provides.
“Our veterans depend on timely passage of this budget, and we urge Congress to allot the necessary funding to fully support America’s veterans and their families,” he said.
For fiscal year 2025, the report recommends $151.8 billion for the Veterans Health Administration and details specific funding levels and targeted increases for VHA programs, including a $2.8 billion increase to fill clinical and support care vacancies across VHA; a $1 billion boost in long-term care to account for the increasing number of aging veterans and their need for essential services; and a $2.3 billion increase to meet the needs of veterans newly enrolled in the healthcare system, to include those who moved to higher priority groups due to PACT Act eligibility.
The recommendation also calls for a $340 million plus-up in dental care and a $100 million increase for virtual health care.
“Thanks to enactment of the PACT Act, millions more veterans are now eligible to receive care and benefits as a result of their toxic wounds,” said Randy Reese, executive director of DAV Washington Headquarters. “Our nation has a continuing obligation to provide these and all veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors with convenient and timely access to the health care and benefits they have earned. This year’s IB recommendations serve as a blueprint for Congress and the Administration to ensure that VA has sufficient funding to meet these needs.”
The proposal recommended a total of $6.2 billion for the Veterans Benefit Administration for fiscal year 2025 — an increase of roughly $500 million over the projected FY 2024 appropriations from all sources — and $333 million for the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. The recommendations also include a $130 million increase for VBA to expand overtime work to reduce the claims backlog of non-PACT Act-related claims; a $40 million increase to hire more technical support for the Veteran Readiness and Employment program; and a $70 million plus-up to help both VBA and BVA develop new IT systems, reprogram existing ones, and create more digital tools to increase efficiency and productivity.
“While this year’s Independent Budget is once again complete, it is now imperative that Congress and VA work together, along with veterans service organizations and other stakeholders, to make the needs and interests of all veterans a top priority,” said Ryan Gallucci, executive director of the VFW Washington Office. “We have co-authored this report and offered budgetary recommendations to ensure the timely delivery of specialized health care and earned benefits for the men and women who served.”
The IBVSOs believe Congress must also significantly increase funding for VA’s major and minor construction programs and recommended a total of $6.1 billion for FY 2025. The recommendation notes that VA has a backlog of $130 billion in infrastructure projects and calls for VA to increase construction management personnel at every VA medical center across the nation.
To view The IB’s full budget recommendations, visit here.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.