[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 101 (Friday, July 16, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1569]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E1569]]



                         VETERANS' HEALTH CARE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DOUG BEREUTER

                              of nebraska

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 16, 1999

  Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, during the Independence Day district work 
period, this Member had the opportunity to continue his series of town 
hall meetings in his congressional district in Nebraska. At these 
meetings, and at my earlier listening sessions, two main topics have 
been vigorously addressed by constituents. The first of these is the 
desperate conditions that farmers are now facing in this country, which 
this Member addressed Monday on the House floor. Another issue that was 
also discussed at these town hall meetings was the very inadequate 
level of veterans medical care funding available today. Veterans in my 
state understandably are not satisfied with the current situation, and 
it is clear that the Federal Government is not meeting its 
responsibility to the health care needs of our military veterans.
  Over the last several years, Congress has provided a slight increase 
in funding each year for veterans health care. However, the level of 
funding in the past and present has been far from the amount needed for 
these vital health programs. The simple fact is that the Federal 
Government must provide greater funding for veterans health care. We 
have a bulge in World War II veterans in need of more health care 
services at this time. The number of veterans treated in VA facilities 
in the year 2000 is projected to rise by more than 30 percent compared 
to 1997. Funding must be substantially increased to keep up with this 
demand. However, the President's budget request for veterans medical 
care funding is less than 2 percent above what it was in 1997. In fact, 
over the past few years, the President's budget request has always been 
less than what Congress actually appropriated for these important 
health programs.
  The fiscal year 2000 Budget Resolution contained a 1.7 billion dollar 
increase for veterans health care. This Member strongly encourages the 
Appropriations Committee to support this increase in funding, and would 
support an even greater amount to insure that at least minimally 
acceptable veterans' health needs of all eligible veterans are met. 
This Member would also like to send a message to the Administration, 
encouraging them to stop ignoring the essential health care services 
veterans deserve, and to propose and support the greater funding levels 
needed to adequately serve our veterans.
  The inadequacy of VA health care funds in this Member's home state of 
Nebraska is accentuated by a Clinton Administration funding formula 
called the Veterans Equity Resource Allocation, or VERA. Its results 
are anything but equitable to veterans in Nebraska. The VERA system was 
created and implemented in April of 1997 in an ill-advised attempt to 
more equally allocate VA health care resources among different regions 
of the country.
  However, this system is not equitable. Funds are allocated among the 
22 VA regions strictly on a veteran per-capita basis, which means that 
the Sunbelt regions where veterans are retiring have far more resources 
to provide the necessary base of service. Sparsely populated states, 
like Nebraska in the Northern Great Plains, have a smaller and 
shrinking veterans population. These lower-population states simply do 
not have the numbers to receive adequate funding under this system in 
order to provide for even the minimum services and facilities required. 
No matter what state a veteran lives in, he or she is entitled to an 
acceptable level of health service. This level is not being met in 
Nebraska under VERA. This Member calls on the Clinton Administration to 
take off their blinders and address this problem with an adjusted 
formula. This Member will also continue to actively oppose VERA, and 
will work to restore more funding for VA facilities in Nebraska.
  Veterans fought to protect our freedom and way of life. As they 
served our nation in a time of need, the Federal Government must 
remember them in their time of need. Therefore, the needs of these 
veterans, especially health benefits, must be met to the fullest extent 
possible. The people of the U.S. owe a tremendous debt to our veterans. 
We should keep the promises made to them.

                          ____________________