House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health Hearing
Chairman Wenstrup, Ranking Member Brownley and members of the Subcommittee, on behalf of the men and women of the
The VFW is glad to see
However, we are very concerned that the administration's request to make the Veterans Choice Program a permanent mandatory program could lead to a gradual erosion of the
The continued failure of
Sequestration and its draconian spending caps limit our nation's ability to provide service members, veterans, and their families the care and benefits they have earned and deserve. The VFW calls on the subcommittee to join our campaign to finally end sequestration and do away with a federal budget process based on the arbitrary budget caps, which significantly limit the government's ability to carry out programs that experience spikes in demand, such as
Caregivers
The VFW has heard for many years that veterans who require the assistance of a caregiver to perform activities of daily living have been rejected from the VA Caregivers Program, have been downgraded in tier level or outright kicked out of the program. These issues have led to
However the administration's budget request assumes a
While the VFW certainly agrees that veterans who have recovered from injuries and illnesses should be put on a path to achieve independent living and no longer require the assistance of a caregiver, such decisions must be made when the veteran and the caregiver agree and not by
The VFW has also said for years that the arbitrary delimitation of eligibility for the VA Caregiver Program unjustly ignores the selfless sacrifice of those who care for our pre-9/11 ill and injured veterans. Family caregivers who choose to provide in-home care to veterans who were severely disabled in the line of duty truly epitomize the concept of selfless service. They choose to put their lives and careers on hold, often accepting great emotional and financial burdens. They do so recognizing that their loved ones benefit greatly by receiving care in their homes, as opposed to institutional settings.
The VFW strongly believes that the contributions of family caregivers cannot be overstated, and that our nation owes them the support they need and deserve. The VFW sees no justifiable reason to exclude otherwise deserving veterans from program eligibility simply based on the era in which they served. Accordingly, we strongly urge the subcommittee to swiftly consider and pass a bill to expand the VA Caregiver Program to veterans of all eras who need the assistance of a caregiver due to service-connected illnesses and injuries.
For more than a decade, the Independent Budget Veterans Service Organizations (IBVSOs) have warned
The IBVSOs are working with
When
When asked why
Currently,
At the top of
The IBVSOs recommend that
In FY 2017,
In
While this infusion of funds has helped, there are still hundreds of minor construction projects that need funding for completion. It is important to remember that these funds are a supplement to, not a replacement of, annual appropriations for minor construction projects. The IBVSOs recommend that
Leasing
Historically,
There are now 27 major medical leases awaiting congressional authorization, 18 of which have been waiting since FY 2016 and six from FY 2017. Delays in authorization of these leases will have a direct impact on
Legislative Proposals
As part of the budget,
The VFW does not take a position on the proposal to require
The VFW opposes the
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Read this original document at: http://docs.house.gov/meetings/VR/VR03/20170622/106164/HHRG-115-VR03-Wstate-FuentesC-20170622.pdf
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