Washington gridlock should never affect our veterans or prevent them from getting the healthcare and support they earned through their service. The recent budget deal I supported will see increased funding for important veterans’ programs, stronger accountability measures and a push for more a more modern, efficient healthcare system. I wanted to share a few of the details of that budget with you. On ending the backlog: The budget I supported allocates $140 million to the Veterans Benefits Administration to improve their information technology, advancing the goal of a paperless claims process for rapid service. It also includes more funding for staff at the Board of Veterans’ Appeals and requires mandatory overtime for VBA employees. No veteran should have their claim languish because of inadequate staffing. On eliminating homelessness in veterans: The budget includes $6.2 billion in funding for programs to tackle the struggles faced by homeless veterans. This money will fund job training, housing and other necessary treatment services. I am proud that some of our local non-profits are already taking the lead in tackling veteran homelessness in the Central Valley. On moving to electronic health records: Every veteran (and taxpayer) should be outraged by the delays and cost overruns that have prevented the DoD and VA from operating a joint electronic health record system to the detriment of our servicemen and veterans. This budget puts strict accountability measures in place that require the VA and DoD to demonstrate progress towards a joint record system. It also requires them to submit detailed plans to the public. Have more questions about the budget? Email me here: denham.house.gov/contact-me/email-me
Posted on: Thu, 23 Jan 2014 22:12:28 +0000
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