Legion Leader to Congress: 'Health Care Rationing for Veterans Must End'


WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- The leader of the nation's largest veterans organization today challenged a joint session of congressional committees to stop rationing health care for America's veterans.

Speaking to members of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees, American Legion National Commander Thomas P. Cadmus told members, "Without urgent changes in health care funding, our newest veterans returning home from the war on terrorism will be forced to fight for the life of a health care system that was designed specifically for their unique needs, just as the veterans of the 20th century did."

Funding for VA health care currently falls under discretionary spending within the federal budget.  VA's health care budget is forced to compete with other agencies and programs for federal dollars each year and health care for service-disabled veterans is not guaranteed under discretionary spending.

"With young American service members continuing to answer our nation's call to arms in every corner of the globe, we must now, more than ever, work together to honor their sacrifices," Cadmus said.  "Those men and women who return from battle with career ending injuries and life changing memories will turn to VA for their health care -- health care they have earned through their service to this country.

"The American Legion believes that the solution to the Veterans Health Administration recurring fiscal difficulties will only be achieved when its funding becomes a mandatory funding item," Cadmus told lawmakers.  "We would be pleased to support legislation that would establish a formula-based mandatory system that will ensure that all veterans, as authorized by law, receive the care they earned by faithful military service to their country."

Like Medicare and Social Security, mandatory VA funding would eliminate the year-to-year uncertainty about funding levels that have prevented VA from adequately planning and meeting the growing needs of veterans seeking care. In January 2003, VA Secretary Anthony Principi suspended enrollment of new Priority Group 8 veterans in an effort to alleviate an unprecedented backlog of eligible veterans waiting to receive care at VA.  Mandatory funding will provide VA with the necessary levels of funding needed to prevent VA from closing its doors to eligible veterans.  The American Legion is one of nine major veterans service organizations petitioning Congress to enact mandatory funding for VA health care.

Cadmus also urged the committees to enact legislation authorizing VA to bill and collect from Medicare for the treatment of nonservice-connected medical conditions of enrolled Medicare-eligible veterans.  "As do all working citizens, veterans pay into the Medicare system without choice," Cadmus said. "They should be able to use Medicare to pay for their care in the VA system."

Cadmus was elected Sept. 2 to lead the 2.7 million-member American Legion during the organization's 86th national convention in Nashville, Tenn.

SOURCE  American Legion 

CO:  American Legion

ST:  District of Columbia

SU:  LEG

Web site:  http://www.legion.org

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09/21/2004 16:05 EDT