FOR RELEASE: December 6, 2001

EVANS URGES WHITE HOUSE TO KEEP PROMISE TO FIND ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR VA HEALTH CARE

Illinois Lawmaker Pledges to Work with President to Allow VA to Maintain Open Enrollment for Health Care for all Eligible Veterans

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, in a letter to President Bush, Rep. Lane Evans (D-IL), the Senior Democratic Member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, agreed with the recent decision by the President to allow all eligible veterans to continue to enroll for health care in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).  Open enrollment was threatened for the first time since 1996 after the Department identified a $400 million shortfall in funding for fiscal year 2002.   

Just hours after Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi had briefed Congressional Committees that these projected funding shortfalls would require VA to restrict new “higher income” veterans from enrolling in VA health care for the remainder of the fiscal year, the decision was revoked by the White House.  According to reports in The Washington Post, the White House promised the VA Secretary funding to make up for the cost of continuing to enroll the veterans in question.  

Evans was pleased to learn of the reversal, but also urged the President to make good on his promise to find funds that would allow the Department to continue to provide timely access to high-quality health care.  Evans asked the President to identify a plan for making additional funds available to the veterans’ medical care system and pledged to work with the President to obtain the additional resources needed.    

In the letter to President Bush, Evans said, “I welcome the opportunity to work together with you, Mr. President, to insure that the current shortfall in VA health care funding for fiscal year 2002 is eliminated without a reduction in the quality or timeliness of care provided to our nation’s veterans.  I stand ready to work with you to ensure that adequate funds are available to treat all eligible veterans who chose to seek VA health care.”

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