[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 111 (Thursday, September 5, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S8302]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. JOHNSON:
  S. 2903. A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for 
a guaranteed adequate level of funding for veterans health care; to the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Veterans 
Health Care Funding Guarantee Act.
  I am introducing the legislation because I believe the VA health case 
system is on the brink of crisis. While the number of veterans in the 
United States has decreased over the years, the number of veterans 
utilizing the VA health care system has increased exponentially. This 
is due in large part to the availability of Community-Based Outpatient 
Clinics and the prescription drug benefits available through the VA. 
The VA estimates that it will see an additional 1.2 million patients 
over the next fiscal year. This would bring the number of veterans 
served through the VA up to 4.9 million, a 31 percent increase in one 
year.
  While the VA has become the health care system of choice for many 
veterans, the system is simply not equipped to handle this kind of 
patient influx at the current funding level. According to the VA, 
300,000 veterans are waiting for appointments, half of them will end up 
waiting six months or more. I know this to be the case in my own State. 
In Sioux Falls, veterans are currently being given appointment dates 
for November of 2003. Furthermore, recent articles in the Aberdeen 
American News and the Argus Leader reported that the VA has been 
instructed not to recruit veterans into the health care system any more 
because of lack of resources.
  This is despite the fact that for the past several years Congress has 
provided funding for veterans health care in excess of the VA's 
request. Two years ago, I helped fight for a $1.4 billion increase in 
veterans health care funding over the Administration's initial request. 
Last year, we succeeded in adding an additional $1.1 billion. During 
Senate consideration of the Fiscal Year 2002 Emergency Supplemental 
Appropriations bill, I was pleased to work with my fellow members of 
the Appropriations Committee to ensure that $417 million in additional 
funding for veterans health care was included in the bill. Given the 
current problems within the VA health care system, I was disappointed 
that President refused to spend $275 million of the emergency funding 
that was earmarked for veterans health care. According to the 
Independent Budget, which is prepared by the Disabled American 
Veterans, AMVETS, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, and the Veterans 
of Foreign Wars, the Administration's Fiscal Year 2003 request for VA 
health care is $1.7 billion less than what is needed to fully fund our 
veterans' health care needs.
  We need a new approach to veterans health care. The Veterans Health 
Care Funding Guarantee Act that I am introducing today would change the 
way in which the VA health care system is funded by moving it from 
discretionary to mandatory spending. The bill would establish a base-
line funding year and calculate the average cost of a veteran using the 
VA health care system. The bill would them provide funding for the 
total number of veterans who participate in the VA health care system. 
That would be indexed annually for inflation.
  In my opinion, the men and women who put their lives on the line in 
defense of this Nation should not be told that they need to wait up to 
a year before someone can assess their medical needs. I believe that 
the Veterans Health Care Funding Guarantee Act is an important starting 
point to begin a discussion about maintaining our commitments to our 
Nation's veterans. It is my hope that my colleagues will join me in 
examining new ways to provide our veterans with the high-quality health 
care they deserve.
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