VA From Exempt Budget Reduction
Congress decided to exempt the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) budget from the 1 percent across-the-board reduction that was applied to other fiscal year 2006 discretionary spending. Spending for veterans' health care has risen from $19.3 billion in FY 2001 to approximately $30 billion in FY 2005, a 55 percent increase. The President recently signed the appropriations bill providing VA more than $70 billion in total funding for FY2006, which includes an increase in veterans' medical care spending of 18 percent over the past two years. In addition VA received $1.5 billion in supplemental funds in August 2005 after a health care funding shortfall was discovered. VA, unable to use the entire amount in FY 2005, will roll more than a billion dollars into FY2006.

Veterans Health Care Act of 2005 Passed
The Senate has passed S. 1182 - the "Veterans Health Care Act of 2005." Provisions of this bill will: 1) The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will now be allowed to hire Marriage and Family Therapists within VA to provide complete readjustment services and counseling to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans.
2) Require VA to expand the number of clinical care providers dedicated to the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
3) Require VA to expand tele-health initiatives in rural areas.
4) Require VA to expand mental health services in Community-based Outpatient Clinics.
5) Require VA to expand the Global War on Terrorism Outreach Program, which places Iraq war and Afghanistan war veterans in Vet Centers and encourages them to reach out to returning National Guard and Reservists.
6) Require the Secretary of the VA to establish a strategic plan for long-term care.
7) Increase the total funding for VA's programs to assist homeless veterans to $130 million.
8) And the VA will now be allowed to provide up to 14 days of care for newborns of female veterans. The bill now awaits action by the U.S. House of Representatives.

VA Budget Committee Schedule
The House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman announced the 2006 schedule for the annual budget and legislative presentations of national veterans' service organizations. These full committee hearings will occur in February and will provide veterans groups and military organizations the opportunity to present their budget and legislative views prior to the Committee's 2007 budget views and estimates submission to the Budget Committee. The hearing schedule for February and September 2006 includes four full committee hearings; whereby leadership of the VSOs and MSOs will present their budget views on February 8 and their legislative views on February 15 and 16. For the first time in its history, the Committee will host VSO and MSO leaders for an end-of-year hearing scheduled for September.