THE RAW DEAL: John Kerry's False Veterans Health Care Attacks

George W. Bush ^ | May 13, 2004

[RWR8189]

"John Kerry's attack on the President's strong record of providing for our nation's veterans is at odds with reality. While the President has increased the VA health care budget by over 40 percent since taking office, John Kerry offers nothing but political attacks."

- Steve Schmidt, Bush-Cheney '04 Spokesman

President Bush Is Delivering For Veterans

Annenberg Public Policy Center: Kerry’s Claims About Veterans Health Cuts Are Not True. The University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Center stated in a FactCheck, "[F]unding for veterans is going up twice as fast under Bush as it did under Clinton. And the number of veterans getting health benefits is going up 25% under Bush’s budgets. That’s hardly a cut. … FactCheck.org twice contacted the Kerry campaign asking how he justified his claim that the VA budget is being cut, but we’ve received no response." (FactCheck.org Website, www.factcheck.org/article.aspx?docid=144 , Accessed 2/18/04)

Increased VA Funding. The President’s FY 2005 budget proposes to increase funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs to $68 billion from the 2001 level of $48 billion. The President’s budget requests $29.5 billion for VA’s medical care for next year, more that 40 percent above the 2001 level. The past four straight VA budget increases have provided more than a 40 percent increase in VA health care alone since 2001-- enabling a million more patients to receive treatment.

Increased Health Care Service to Veterans. In the past four years, President Bush’s budgets have allowed the VA to enroll 2.5 million more veterans for health care services, increase outpatient visits from 44 million to 54 million, increase the number of prescriptions filled from 86 million to 108 million and open 194 new community-based clinics available for veterans. The number of veterans registered for health benefits increased 18 percent under President Bush and will increase by almost 26 percent by October 2004. ("Funding For Veterans Up 27%, But Democrats Call It A Cut," FactCheck.org Website, www.factcheck.org, Accessed 2/18/04)

Concurrent Receipt of Benefits. President Bush has twice signed legislation effectively providing "concurrent receipt" of both military retired pay and VA disability compensation for combat-injured and highly-disabled veterans, reversing a century old law preventing concurrent receipt.

Cutting the Disability Claims Backlog. President Bush promised to reduce the disability claims backlog, and at his request, Congress has provided VA with the resources it needs to reduce claims. Claims backlogs have dropped from a high of 432,000 and are approaching the goal of 250,000 while the volume of claims decisions per month has increased from 40,000 to 68,000. The average length of time to process a veteran’s compensation claim has dropped from approximately 230 days to 160 days and the VA expects to meet its goal of 100 days this year.

Help for Homeless Veterans. As a result of the President’s 2003 budget, community grants were expanded to all 50 States and Washington, D.C. for the first time in history, ensuring that homeless veterans have access to housing, health care and shelter.

Additional Prescription Drug Coverage. Last year, President Bush took the unprecedented step of allowing veterans waiting for a medical appointment who already have a prescription from their private physician, to have those prescriptions filled by the VA. This is saving veterans hundreds of dollars in drug costs.

VA Expansion. The President is seeking to improve outpatient veteran’s health care services through the CARES improvements, which will result in the construction of two new medical centers in Orlando, Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada; over 100 major construction projects to revitalize and modernize VA medical centers in 37 states; creation of 156 new community-based outpatient clinics; potential creation of four new - and expansion of five existing - spinal cord injury centers; and opening up two new blind rehabilitation centers.

[joesnuffy]

According to the latest DAV and VFW figures

The VAMCs were woefully UNDERFUNDED...before the war....they are are still underfunded...

This article is blowing smoke...and is as inaccurate on the plus side as the
The Rat Presidential Can'o'dirt JF Kerry's version...

But hey..it's an election year...and how do you know a politican is lying?

imo

[Khurkris]

bump for later reference

[sport]

bump

[donozark]

From VFW MAGAZINE, March, 2004:"VA received a record budget of some $64 billion for the 2004 fiscal year. It is an increase of some $4.2 billion from 2003."

Over $500 million for construction projects. $32.8 billion for benefits and $28.4 billion for health care.

Of course the VA is still a bureaucracy...and therein lies the problem. Was that way for my dad's generation. For mine (ours), and more sadly, for those now returning from WOT. Plenty of funding, just not sure how it is being channeled. Are vets getting most bang for the buck? Doubtful.

[mtntop3]

It's good that this info is posted. This is worthy of a bookmark because the topic is continually being demagogued by Congressional Democrats back in their home districts where many veterans often lack information to see through the distortions and misrepresentations. There are, unfortunately, some veterans who are active Democrats and knowingly promote the latter.