WASHINGTON – This Memorial Day finds itself intruding upon a political tussle over whether Republicans or Democrats are serving veterans better.
Democrats contend Republicans are shortchanging veterans to help pay for President Bush’s tax cuts. GOP lawmakers say Democrats are scaring older veterans with speeches about budget cuts.
Reports of budget cuts are “an unmitigated lie,” says the chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Rep. Christopher Smith, R-N.J., said the 2004 spending plan that Congress approved last month provides $63.8 billion for veterans programs, a $6.2 billion increase from the year before. He says money for veterans’ health care services would increase $3.1 billion, to $27 billion.
Many Republicans joined Democrats in increasing the original White House budget proposal for veterans and in exempting veterans programs from an across-the-board 1 percent cut for all federal programs.
Democrats are not backing down. With hundreds of thousands of military personnel overseas, “the administration and Republicans in Congress would like to reward their service with fewer services for their fellow veterans,” said Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the House’s second-ranking Democrat.
Democrats cite Congressional Budget Office figures that conclude spending projections would leave the Veterans Affairs Department $6.2 billion short of what it needs to meet its obligations over the next 10 years.
They also say that cost-cutting proposed by Bush, if fully put in place, would cost force more than 1.4 million veterans to be denied health care or would drop them from the VA health care system.
Funding to run VA health programs has grown an average 7.9 percent a year since 1998, but that is not keeping pace with medical inflation, increased demand and the rising costs of treating an aging veterans population.
“It’s a very tricky process,” said Bob Norton, deputy director of government relations for the Military Officers Association of America. “We would say that the budget is a good starting point, but it’s not sufficient because demand continues to surpass capacity.”
Part of the problem is Congress’ own doing. In 1996, Congress opened the VA health care system to all veterans, and patient workload has increased since then from 2.7 million to 4.6 million people.
VA Secretary Anthony Principi has suspended new enrollments for higher income veterans, which is expected to keep out 164,000 veterans this year. He also has proposed an annual $250 enrollment fee for more affluent veterans and an increase in co-payments for outpatient care.
The enrollment fee would have to be approved by Congress, and lawmakers have little appetite for such a move.
Meanwhile, both parties try to show they can do more for veterans; the political stakes are high. There are some 25 million veterans, and the VA says 70 million veterans, family members and survivors potentially are eligible for benefits and services.
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi announced plans last week to help veterans and those still serving, including $1,000 bonuses for those who served in imminent danger status in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The proposal would provide money to reduce waiting times – 200,000 veterans now are waiting up to six months for an appointment at VA hospitals – as well improve education opportunities for reservists and offer better benefits for survivors.
Steve Thomas, spokesman for the American Legion, said the only solution is a major overhaul of the system, including putting the VA health care budget in the same mandatory category as Social Security and Medicare payments.
In the meantime, he said, there is “one good thing about the one-upmanship” between the parties: “It will stimulate national debate about what our nation owes its patriots.”
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