WASHINGTON — R. James Nicholson, Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, announced this evening that the President has submitted to Congress an amendment to the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2006 budget requesting $1.977 billion for higher-than-expected health care needs and to ensure that veterans continue to receive timely and high-quality health care.
In June, Secretary Nicholson informed Congress that an unanticipated growth in the number of patients using the VA health care system, as well as an increase in the cost per patient of providing this care, had created the need for additional funds in FY 2005 and FY 2006. The Administration recently submitted a request for $975 million in additional health care funds for FY 2005 and today’s budget amendment meets the 2006 needs.
“Veterans of every era can rest easy, knowing that access to what has been described as the finest integrated health care system in the country will remain undiminished—especially for low-income veterans, those with service-connected disabilities, special needs, or who have recently returned from combat. I particularly appreciate the help we have received from our colleagues in Congress, especially the Chairs of our Appropriations subcommittees, Chairwoman Kay Bailey Hutchison and Chairman James T. Walsh, and the Chairs of our Authorizing Committees, Senator Larry Craig and Congressman Steve Buyer, whose commitment to our veterans is so strong and who understand so well the complexity of predicting the utilization rate of our VA health care system,” said Nicholson.
The FY 2006 budget amendment is composed of:
- $300 million to replenish carry-over funds to be expended in FY 2005 to cover the increase in average cost per patient;
- $677 million to cover an estimated 2 percent increase in the number of patients expected to seek care in FY 2006;
- $400 million increase in recognition of the expected cost of providing more costly treatment; and
- $600 million to correct for the estimated cost of long term care.
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