NEWS FROM….

CONGRESSMAN LANE EVANS

RANKING DEMOCRATIC MEMBER

COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS

    U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FOR RELEASE: October 6, 1999

October 6, 1999 - Cong. Lane Evans (D-IL) today announced the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will continue to enroll all veterans for VA health care in the fiscal year that began on Sunday, October 1, 1999. The long-awaited decision by the Administration was met with relief by some veterans who had been informed earlier this summer that VA might disenroll them.

"I am glad veterans finally know that they will continue to have access to VA health care for the next year. Many veterans who have relied upon VA for care in the past were anxious about a decision that might take that care away from them in the future," said Representative Evans, the Democratic Leader of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Evans cautioned, however, that veterans who have other insurance policies should keep them. "Many Congressional Democrats joined me in a hard fought battle to get a good budget for veterans’ health care this year. While VA’s budget has not yet been finalized, both the House and Senate have approved a significant $1.7 billion increase for veterans medical care. Even with this budget increase, however, it may still be tough for VA to provide every veteran all care he or she needs."

VA reviewed a commissioned study and performed its own analysis to determine how many veterans could be treated in fiscal year 2000. In the end, officials decided that the additional funding ($1.7 billion) proposed in the House and Senate would be adequate to support veterans’ needs in all seven of the system’s priority groups. VA, however, retained the option to make a later decision to disenroll certain veterans if the system proved unable to address their needs.

"VA health care eligibility has always been limited by the space and resources available to treat veterans," said Evans. "We fought to win a large enough appropriation to better ensure the veterans served by VA that these resources would be adequate. Based on the $1.7 billion increase in funding approved by the House and Senate, veterans need not be too concerned about the well running dry."

"I am pleased that VA has finally made its decision and hope it will give veterans who feared they would lose their health care provider more peace-of-mind," concluded Evans.

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