PVA Legislative Priorities for the 111th Congress

Paralyzed Veterans of America has identified and outlined for members of Congress its legislative priorities during the 111th Congress. The top priority for PVA, and the other eight veterans’ service organizations included in the Partnership for VA Health Care Budget Reform, is advance appropriations for VA health-care funding (H.R. 1016/S.423).

PVA will also continue its efforts to eliminate health-care co-payments for catastrophically disabled Priority Group 4 veterans (H.R. 1335), and work to have the Benefits Ratings Acceleration for Veterans Entitlement (BRAVE) Act reintroduced.

Furthermore, one of the primary focuses for PVA’s leadership has been, and will continue to be, improving recruitment and retention bonuses and incentives for nurses and allied health professionals. Finally, following the success at making major improvements to the Specially Adapted Housing grant this year, PVA will work to increase the adaptive automobile grant to reflect its original intent to provide an annual index to increase the value of the grant with the cost of inflation.

Administration Releases Detailed FY 2010 Budget

For the first time in the 23-year history of The Independent Budget—a comprehensive budget and policy document co-authored by Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, and Veterans of Foreign Wars—the Administration proposed a budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that exceeds our recommendations. The President's budget for FY 2010 provides approximately $55.9 billion in discretionary funding for the VA, approximately $5.8 billion above the FY 2009 appropriated level and nearly $1.3 billion more than The Independent Budget.

The Administration's budget includes approximately $47.4 billion for medical care programs, an increase of $4.4 billion over the FY 2009 appropriated level and approximately $800 million more than the recommendations of The Independent Budget. The budget also includes $580 million in funding for Medical and Prosthetic Research, an increase of $70 million over the FY 2009 appropriated level.

The budget also contains a significant increase in funding for the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA)—the VA agency charged with providing compensation and benefits to veterans. The President's budget recommends $1.8 billion for VBA, an increase of approximately $350 million over the FY 2009 appropriated level. This critical funding will allow the VA to be able to properly address the massive claims backlog and handle the implementation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, set to go into effect on August 1, 2009.

PVA is pleased to see that the Administration reaffirmed its support for advance appropriations of VA health-care funding. The Administration has committed in its budget to working with the Congress and veterans' service organizations to develop an advance appropriation recommendation for FY 2011. The advance appropriations provision will offer long-term benefits ensuring the VA will better be able to meet the health-care needs of all veterans. More importantly, it will ensure that VA health-care funding is sufficient, timely, and predictable.