[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 166 (Monday, November 9, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7853-S7854]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     MILCON-VA APPROPRIATIONS BILL

  Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I thank Senators Kirk and Tester for 
their bipartisan leadership on a measure that is vastly improved since 
the vote we had on a similar measure recently. I know this topic is 
very close to the heart of the Presiding Officer, and I thank him for 
his leadership as chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. It is 
truly a tremendous challenge that we are working step by step to 
address.
  About a month ago, I came to the floor to help raise serious concerns 
about the funding levels in the MILCON-VA appropriations bill that we 
are now addressing because it contained serious, egregious shortfalls. 
As a result, I could not support it. Veterans in Connecticut as 
recently as this weekend asked me how and why I could vote against a 
measure that provided funding for the VA. My answer is: It wasn't 
enough. It wasn't good enough. It failed to do the job.
  This measure, fortunately, is a profoundly important step toward 
addressing the needs of our veterans and keeping faith with them, 
making sure that we leave no veteran behind. This new version provides 
what many of us have been fighting to achieve--real help for our 
veterans.
  We are about to consider an amendment that would restore much needed 
funding to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Kirk-Tester 
amendment provides a much needed increase in funding for the Department 
of Veterans Affairs, bringing full funding to that agency--$71.2 
billion. That amount is $2 billion more--to be precise, $1.97 billion--
over the previous reported bill, which will supplement the VA's medical 
services. This additional funding is not window dressing. It is not a 
convenience or a luxury. It will allow the VA to more appropriately 
account for treating hepatitis C, supporting the family caregiver 
program, and providing care in the community. Demand for care from the 
VA has continued to grow in recent months, and I will continue with my 
colleagues and with the Department to ensure that the VA is spending 
the funds in an appropriate manner, with integrity and responsiveness, 
to provide high quality, timely health care to our veterans.
  This bill also fully funds the operation of the VA Benefits 
Administration. The VBA has been plagued by problems, some of them 
attributable to underfunding, and this amount at $2.69 billion will 
facilitate the transformation from a paper-based claims process to a 
digital one. It will allow the VA to hire hundreds of new claims 
processors, speeding and streamlining the system so that veterans 
receive the benefits they have earned and are spared the rigamarole and 
redtape that has so often produced a backlog.
  Recognizing increased demands, the bill also provides an increase of 
$20

[[Page S7854]]

million for funding VA-State extended care facilities. It provides $20 
million in rural health care funding specifically for construction 
grants, meeting the needs of State extended care homes in rural areas. 
We are demonstrating here how the VA can partner with States to 
flexibly and efficiently deliver long-term care to an aging 
population--like other segments of our population, the VA beneficiaries 
are aging--sparing them the time and expense of constructing and 
operating new VA facilities.
  I have also filed important amendments to improve the provision of 
health care and research at the VA, ensuring that the VA is providing 
gender-specific prostheses, for example--particularly important as we 
see more and more women serve in combat zones--as well as ensuring that 
VA research dollars are spent in areas of toxic exposures. These 
priorities ought to be at the top of the list for all. They are for me.
  VA continues to have a significant need for resources and personnel. 
Secretary McDonald indicated just last Friday that the agency continues 
to need about 4,300 more physicians and 10,000 nurses. I am working 
with the VA on legislation to meet this need. I look forward to working 
with my colleague, the Presiding Officer, as well as the Appropriations 
Committee to address these priorities and others that are so critically 
important to final passage of this important bill.

                          ____________________