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Bill would help improve barracks, hospitals

A $72.8 billion bill that would provide better barracks for some Marine and soldier trainees, fix antiquated military medical facilities, hire more veterans claims processors and increase access to care for veterans has cleared its first hurdle in the House of Representatives.

“There are not many lobbyists running around Capitol Hill fighting for better housing for 18- and 19-year-old young men and women who made the decision to serve and sacrifice for our country,” noted Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Texas.

Lawmakers have added $200 million for extra troop housing for soldier and Marine trainees to the Pentagon’s fiscal 2009 military construction request.

“We want to send the message to soldiers and Marines that we value and respect their decision to serve by improving the barracks they live in when they train,” said Edwards, chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee on military construction and veterans affairs.

The subcommittee passed the bill unanimously by voice vote.

The extra barracks funding is part of the overall $24.8 billion bill for military construction, barracks and family housing, and base realignment and closure actions, which is $400 million more than the Pentagon’s fiscal 2009 budget request.

Edwards said lawmakers learned in recent hearings that there is an “enormous” need to refurbish military medical treatment facilities, many of which are old and do not meet current standards for care.

In a Feb. 7 hearing with the senior enlisted advisers, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth Preston said that while military medical facilities generally are well-maintained and operated, they are old and are not configured or constructed to provide the full range of treatment available in modern medical facilities.

Of the 25 major Army hospitals or medical centers, eight are more than 50 years old, and many others are between 25 and 50 years old.

Edwards said he hoped lawmakers’ efforts to provide more funding have brought the issue to the attention of top officials, and that future budget submissions will include funding increases to address the backlog.

The bill also provides funding to hire an additional 1,400 Veterans Affairs claims processors, in addition to the 703 new hires that were included in the VA’s 2009 budget submission.

All told, the bill would provide $47.7 billion in discretionary funding for VA. That is $2.9 billion above the White House’s 2009 budget request, and $4.6 billion more than this year’s VA budget.

The bill includes $3.8 billion for specialty mental health services and $584 million for substance abuse programs. Edwards said lawmakers want to increase their oversight in those areas to ensure VA is able to provide the best care now and in the future for veterans with mental illness and post-traumatic stress disorder, who are struggling with substance abuse or considering suicide, and those suffering from sexual trauma.

“One of the biggest challenges is to make sure VA follows through,” said Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn. “The VA is a big bureaucracy. If Congress doesn’t lead and direct and hold them accountable, all the money in the world is not going to lead to more efficiency. We’re throwing a lot of money at them, [but] it’s easier to appropriate or allocate money than it is to hold these agencies accountable.”

Lawmakers added $11 million for VA’s inspector general to restore a budget cut that was made in the administration’s original request, and to provide additional personnel to inspect community-based outpatient clinics and vet centers.

The bill also would provide:

• $200 million to increase access to fee-based care for veterans in areas where VA does not offer services.

• $568 million to increase VA health care enrollment of middle-income veterans.

• $300 million to address a maintenance backlog at VA medical facilities.

• $58 million to restore a cut made by VA for medical research in trauma, mental health and other areas important to veterans .