"The President has delivered a disappointing funding request for the Department of Veterans Affairs," said the leader of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), in reaction to the Administration's fiscal year 2006 budget request that was released yesterday.

“This budget will cause veterans' health care to be delayed, and may result in the return of six-month-long waiting periods. That is especially shameful during a time of war."

Two key issues for vets in this budget request are the proposals to charge a $250 enrollment fee for Veterans Administration (VA) Healthcare that would impact approximately 2.2 million veterans, and a VA prescription co-payment that would more than double from the current $7 fee to $15 for a 30-day supply.

The VFW and other veteran groups are concerned that both the proposed enrollment fee (enrollment in VA healthcare has always been free for every veteran) and the prescription co-payment increases will cost some of our veterans thousands of extra dollars in health care expenses, while driving others away from the VA hospitals, including those vets who may not have health insurance or access to other forms of health care.

"The message that this budget communicates is that part of the federal government's deficit will be balanced on the backs of military veterans," said John Furgess, commander in chief of the VFW, "because it's clear that the proper funding of veterans’ health care and other programs is not an Administration priority."

This budget proposal also slashes $351 million from veterans' nursing homes by serving 28,000 fewer residents, and significantly reduces state grants from $114 million to $12 million.

It cuts $4 million from medical and prosthetic research, bringing to $53 million the total amount cut from research in the last two years.

And the proposed increase of 113 VA employees to help process veterans disability claims barely covers the number of positions that were deleted just last year from the VA, and won't begin to make a dent in the current backlog of 480,000 veteran compensation and pension claims, a number of which are from veterans from the current war on terrorism.

"The country's 25 million veterans and 2.2 million uniformed members and their families voted overwhelmingly for this Administration last year to make a difference in their lives," said Furgess, "yet this budget fails to live up to the nation's obligation to veterans because it doesn't acknowledge that the costs of war continue long after the last shots are fired."

The VFW national commander is calling on all 2.4 million members of the VFW and its Auxiliaries, as well as all service members and their families, to urge their Congressional members to correct the shortfalls in this proposed 2006 federal budget.

As a veteran advocate, I also urge everyone to contact their legislators on behalf of our nation’s gallant vets.

"Without the American soldier, there would not have been a United States of America, and I shudder to imagine the rest of the world," Furgess said.

"Our nation must honor its commitment to care for those who are ultimately responsible for every liberty we enjoy today."

Source: Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)