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ARMED FORCES NEWS |
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Rep. Lane Evans, D-Ill., has introduced HR-2318, which would require the Treasury to fully fund the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system. The bill, which would kick in for fiscal 2005, would require funding based on the consumer price index and the number of enrollees in the system. The Fleet Reserve Association has endorsed the bill, stating that FRA is especially concerned about the VA's expectations of income from new fees paid by some Category 7 and all Category 8 veterans. Category 8s are veterans with no service-connected disabilities who have higher incomes than the geographical means test levels. However the term "higher income" can be misleading and the results devastating. For example, Evans has stated that, in some communities, veterans with incomes of more than $24,644 sometimes have to choose between prescription drugs and heat or groceries. |
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