NEWS FROM….

CONGRESSMAN LANE EVANS

RANKING DEMOCRATIC MEMBER

COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS

    U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

The rider expressly states that no money budgeted for litigation support may be used "for the purposes of supporting litigation against tobacco companies." This provision is one of several inserted into appropriations bills by the House leadership, apparently aimed at gutting federal efforts to recover the cost of treating tobacco-related illnesses.

"I joined my colleagues, Rep. Henry Waxman, Rep. James Hansen, Rep. Martin Meehan and Rep. Debbie Stabenow, in offering an amendment to remove language which would kill any possible recovery of damages to pay for veterans health care," said Evans. "Most of the major veterans organizations supported us. It has been estimated that it costs between $1 and $4 billion a year – as much as one dollar out of every five appropriated for veterans health care – to care for veterans with tobacco-related illnesses."

Under the Medical Care Recovery Act, any recovery by the Justice Department of these costs would be returned to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The effect of the rider is to block the VA from potentially obtaining tens of billions of dollars -- money badly needed to address significant shortfalls in health care resources. "Considering the struggles veterans and their supporters in Congress have had in achieving the current levels of funding for VA medical care," Evans said, "it is unconscionable that the House let this rider stand."

The VA strongly supports this suit and has worked closely with the Justice Department as it moves forward. Leading veterans service organizations -- AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Veterans of Foreign Wars -- also support the litigation. These organizations have written to members of Congress, urging them "to oppose efforts to stymie attempts by the Department of Justice to advance a lawsuit seeking to recover health care costs associated with tobacco-related diseases."

Veterans organizations pointed to the federal lawsuit as a possible avenue to help defray the enormous health care costs, past, present, and future, associated with tobacco-related disabilities. They also urged members "to resist efforts to attempt to restrict funding for the Department of Justice to continue this important litigation."

"This provision in the VA-HUD appropriation bill," said Evans, "is an outrageous gift to the tobacco companies. The tobacco lobby doesn’t need the money. It continues to be very shrewd in its generosity. Their victory today was won not only against the Justice Department, but also against sick and elderly veterans across the country. It was a shameful vote."