Statement by VA Secretary McDonough on the president’s FY 2022 Discretionary funding request

President outlines proposals to invest in critical health care improvements for Veterans and modernizing VA’s systems

WASHINGTON — The Biden-Harris administration today submitted to Congress the president’s priorities for fiscal year 2022 discretionary spending.

The funding request invests in the core foundations of our country’s strength and advances key U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) priorities, including addressing Veteran homelessness, suicide prevention, caregiver support, and modernizing information technology systems to enhance customer service experience and ensure Veterans receive world-class health care.

The discretionary request ensures that all our Veterans, including women Veterans, Veterans of color, and LGBTQ+ Veterans, receive the care they have earned and enable them to create civilian lives of meaning and opportunity.

The president’s 2022 discretionary request includes $113.1 billion in discretionary funding for VA, a $8.5 billion or 8.2% increase from the FY 2021 enacted level. This funding is in addition to the substantial resources provided in the American Rescue Plan. The president’s FY 2022 discretionary request::

• Protects those who protected us. The discretionary request includes $97.5 billion for VA medical care, $7.6 billion (an increase of 8.5%) above the 2021 enacted level.  These funds, which are in addition to the more than $15 billion designated for Veterans’ medical care in the American Rescue Plan, will continue to improve access to VA healthcare, including increases in funding for women’s health, mental health, suicide prevention and Veterans’ homeless programs. The discretionary request includes $2.1 billion for Veterans’ homelessness programs, an increase of 4.4% over the 2021 enacted level, excluding supplemental funding, to further the administration’s goal of achieving a systematic end to Veteran homelessness. The funding will also further support the department’s efforts to address substance use disorders and expand services related to military sexual trauma.

• Prioritizes Veteran suicide prevention outreach. The discretionary request includes $542 million, nearly $230 million above the 2021 enacted level, for existing programs dedicated to Veteran suicide prevention outreach, including funding to increase the capacity of the Veterans Crisis Line.

• Invests in research critical to Veterans’ health needs. The discretionary request includes $882 million, the largest year-over-year increase in recent history, for medical and prosthetic research. This historic investment will advance the department’s understanding of the impact of traumatic brain injury and toxic exposure on long-term health outcomes as part of its continuing prioritization of research focused on the needs of disabled Veterans.

• Advances VA’s electronic health record program. The discretionary request includes $2.7 billion to continue modernizing VA’s Electronic Health Record (EHR) to ensure Veterans receive world-class health care well into the future.

• Modernizes VA information technology. The discretionary request includes $4.8 billion in total resources for VA’s Office of Information and Technology to support Veteran-focused technology development and cloud modernization, deliver efficient IT services, and enhance customer service experience.

These discretionary investments reflect only one element of the president’s broader agenda. In the coming months, the administration will release a budget that will further detail this discretionary funding request and provide a comprehensive fiscal vision for the nation that reinvests in America, supports future growth and prosperity, meets U.S. commitments, and does so in a fiscally sustainable way.

For more information on the president’s FY 2022 discretionary funding request visit: the President’s FY22 discretionary funding request.