Contact: David E. Autry
(202) 314-5219
April 23, 2002
The Disabled American Veterans (DAV), one of the nation's largest and most respected
veterans organizations, has begun an all-out campaign to guarantee that veterans who seek
medical services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) actually get the care
they need.
Millions of veterans who are eligible for health care under existing law do not get it
each year because of inadequate funding. Changing veterans health care from a
discretionary to a mandatory program, as proposed by the DAV, would correct the existing
problem where annual funding of veterans health programs falls far short of what is
required to serve all eligible veterans.
Instead of having to be approved each year, funding at the level needed to serve all
eligible veterans would be provided automatically. Making veterans health care mandatory
would eliminate the year-to-year uncertainty about funding levels that has prevented the
VA from adequately planning for and meeting the growing needs of veterans seeking
treatment.
George H. Steese, Jr., DAV's National Commander, said the DAV has developed the plan
because of the health care rationing that veterans currently experience. "The men and
women who have served in the military and sacrificed for America are all entitled to
top-quality health care," he said. "It is a right all veterans have earned, but
one that all too many are routinely denied."
The DAV proposal has strong support in the veterans community as well as Congress.
There are clear indications from those on Capitol Hill currently involved in funding
veterans programs that the DAV plan is an excellent alternative to the current system.
Because of that, Steese said the prospects for passage of legislation this year are very
encouraging.
The DAV is a congressionally chartered non-profit organization that represents more than
2.7 million disabled veterans. It is dedicated to a single purpose: building better lives
for our nation's disabled veterans and their families. For more information, go to www.dav.org.
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