NEWS FROM….

CONGRESSMAN LANE EVANS

RANKING DEMOCRATIC MEMBER

COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS

    U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FOR RELEASE: February 17, 2000

Notes absence of funding to improve Montgomery GI Bill

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Lane Evans of Illinois, Democratic leader of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, today said the veterans budget of over $47.5 billion proposed by the Clinton-Gore Administration for fiscal year 2001 is the largest VA increase any President has requested. "This is the best VA budget proposed by any Administration since I have served on this Committee," said Evans. "Veterans and the Congress have spoken out. This budget clearly demonstrates the Administration has listened and responded."

Evans made his comments to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Togo D. West in a hearing of the full House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. "I commend you," he told West and his senior staff, "for your contributions to crafting the VA budget that the Administration has recommended for fiscal year 2001." The budget for fiscal year 2001, which begins October 1, 2000, was released to Congress last week.

Congressman Evans expressed disappointment, however, that the White House budget did not recommend an increase in the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB), a widely-used recruiting tool for the Armed Forces that has become less effective because it basic benefit is inadequate compared to the cost of higher education today and is unable to compete with other forms of college funding. "The original GI Bill helped spark our nation's post World War II economic boom and contributed to the significant increases in the standard of living," Evans says. "The time is right to again make the same commitment to America's servicemen and women. We now face a crisis in recruiting and retaining the best young Americans for our Armed Forces."

The Administration budget requests more than $47.5 billion for veterans benefits and services for fiscal year 2001. This includes almost $24.6 billion for mandatory entitlement programs for veterans, their dependents and survivors. These programs include service-connected disability compensation, pension and educational benefits.

In addition, a $22.4 billion appropriation is recommended for veterans health care programs, burial benefits and other non-mandatory veterans programs. Including anticipated VA medical collections, the Clinton-Gore Administration has recommended a $1.5 billion increase in budget authority for non-mandatory veterans benefits and services compared to VA’s current year budget. "This is an increase of over 16 percent -- $3 billion -- in two years," Evans said, "an increase reflecting the increasing needs of an aging population of men and women who have served our nation in uniform."

The new budget requests $20.9 billion for veterans medical care, according to Evans. "That means a significant and sorely needed increase of $1.4 billion for veterans medical care," Evans said. "I am particularly pleased the Clinton-Gore budget requests the full cost of long-term and emergency care benefits which Congress enacted into law last year. The lack of emergency care has been a serious problem confronted by too many veterans for too long."

Evans also voiced strong support for the nearly $1 billion in the Clinton-Gore budget to improve delivery of compensation, housing, education and pension benefits to veterans. "This is an increase of $137 million," Evans said, "to improve delivery of benefits which veterans have earned through their honorable sacrifice and service to the nation. This added funding, together with the quality assurance program Congress enacted last year, will help VA make better and quicker decisions on veterans claims for benefits."

The only benefit many veterans receive from a grateful Nation, Evans added, "is a final resting place. I am particularly pleased the Administration budget will provide $110 million, a $13 million increase compared to the current budget, for the National Cemetery Administration." In addition to providing badly-needed maintenance and improvements, with this increased funding VA will begin the process for planning new national cemeteries for veterans and their families in Miami, Atlanta, Detroit and Sacramento.

"This budget for veterans is an excellent starting point for Congress to begin to meet the challenges of providing the funding needed for veterans programs," Evans concluded. "It continues a transition to a more accountable veterans’ health care system, and provides resources for improving the delivery of non-medical VA benefits. This is welcome news."

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