“President Donald Trump’s funding plan for the Department of Veterans Affairs includes a 13% increase for medical services, making it one of the only agencies to receive an overall boost in fiscal year 2021 under his plan.”
“If enacted by Congress, Trump’s budget would make the VA the second-largest federal agency in terms of discretionary budget and number of employees. While his spending plan increases the VA budget, it includes cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services, which currently has the second-largest discretionary budget behind the Department of Defense.”
“The president proposed $109.5 billion in discretionary funding for the VA, including $90 billion for medical care. Additionally, the VA has about $134 billion in mandatory funding to be spent on veterans’ benefits…”
“The proposed $90 billion for VA medical services in fiscal 2021 includes an unspecified amount of money for the VA Mission Act, a new program to connect veterans with private-sector doctors. It’s been eight months since the program launched, and to the chagrin of some lawmakers, the agency doesn’t yet know how many appointments have been completed through the Mission Act or how much it’s costing taxpayers.”
“Trump’s budget also includes an increase to mental health services and a 32% boost to veteran suicide prevention programs. It proposes a 9% increase for women’s health care to expand access to gynecology, and it would give an additional $2.6 billion to an ongoing project to overhaul the VA’s electronic health record system…” Read the full article here.
Source: Trump’s budget plan calls for another increase in VA spending – By Nikki Wentling, February 10, 2020. Stars and Stripes.
