Dean: Bush Balancing Budget on Backs of Wounded Veterans

For the second time in a week, the Bush Administration will deliver a major address to the nation's largest veterans' group the day after the Associated Press revealed drastic cuts to veterans' benefits in the President's budget. Vice President Dick Cheney addressed the American Legion's annual convention today, one day after the Associated Press reported that "draconian" cuts in the Bush budget will mean that "at least tens of thousands of veterans" will face "delayed or even denied care" in coming years. [Associated Press, 2/27/06]

While veterans' health care costs are skyrocketing and increasing numbers of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are beginning to claim benefits, President Bush proposed cutting the Veterans Administration medical system by 3 percent in 2008 and leveling funding for the following four years. This follows the news last week that President Bush has proposed fee increases that would force 600,000 veterans off TRICARE, the Pentagon's health care system. [Associated Press, 2/22/06]

"The brave men and women who have served our country deserve better than the slight of hand budget games the Bush Administration is playing with veterans' benefits," said Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. "Vice President Cheney today failed to explain to America's veterans why the Bush Administration has consistently starved veterans' health care.

"Together, America can do better. Democrats are fighting to fully fund TRICARE and the resources required to improve combat-related trauma centers, expand VA medical and prosthetic research, and expedite the processing of benefits claims. The time has come for the Bush Administration and Republicans in Congress to join Democrats in fighting to provide America's veterans the benefits they earned defending our freedom."

Bush Budget Increases Health Care Costs For 1 Million Veterans. For the fourth year in a row, the budget increases health care costs for 1 million veterans by imposing new fees for veterans, costing them more than $2.6 billion over five years. It would double the co-payment for prescription drugs from $8 to $15, and impose an enrollment fee of $250 a year for category 7 and 8 veterans, who make as little as $26,902 a year.

Administration Continues To Block Low Income Veterans From Enrolling In VA Health Care. On January 17, 2003, the Bush Administration stopped enrolling new Priority 8 veterans for VA medical care, and the President's budget continues this restrictive policy. This has prevented 1 million veterans, who make as little as $26,902 a year, from enrolling in VA health care.

Refuses To End The Disabled Veterans' Tax. The President's budget fails to repeal the Disabled Veterans Tax, which forces disabled military retirees to give up one dollar of their pension for every dollar of disability pay they receive. The budget continues to require nearly 400,000 military retirees with service-connected disabilities to continue to pay the Disabled Veterans' Tax.

Fails To End The Military Families' Tax. The Survivor Benefit Plan penalizes survivors, mostly widows, of those killed as a result of combat. These widows lose their survivor benefits if they receive Dependency and Indemnity Compensation benefits because their spouse has died of a service-connected injury. The President's budget forces these 53,000 spouses to continue to pay this unfair tax, even though these families have made the greatest sacrifice for our country.

Mental Health Services For Iraqi Veterans Fail To Meet Growing Need. An Army study shows that about one in six soldiers in Iraq report symptoms of major depression, serious anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder, and some experts predict that the number eventually requiring mental health treatment could exceed 170,000. Up to one-third of Iraq war veterans are suffering from some degree of PTSD. [UPI, 1/27/06] And yet, the President's budget calls for only about 14 percent more for post-traumatic stress disorder and mental health services than last year.

Cuts Funding For Medical And Prosthetic Research. It cuts $13 million from medical and prosthetic research this year. This would set the research grant program back years, just as many of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are coming home with terrible injuries that require this expertise.