House OKs veterans' health care, disability bill

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(AP) WASHINGTON - The Republican-controlled House approved legislation Thursday to boost health care spending for veterans and provide more money to compensate record numbers of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans claiming service-related disabilities as they return home.

The 407-12 vote reflected the traditional bipartisan support for veterans in Congress and efforts by Republicans to exempt veterans' programs from cuts felt by other domestic programs.

(AP) WASHINGTON - The Republican-controlled House approved legislation Thursday to boost health care spending for veterans and provide more money to compensate record numbers of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans claiming service-related disabilities as they return home.

The 407-12 vote reflected the traditional bipartisan support for veterans in Congress and efforts by Republicans to exempt veterans' programs from cuts felt by other domestic programs.

Roughly half of the $148 billion measure is for veterans' pensions and disability payments over which lawmakers have little practical control. That includes a 20 percent, $10.5 billion increase for such payments.

The Associated Press reported earlier this week that 45 percent of the 1.6 million veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now seeking compensation for injuries they say are service-related. About 1.2 million veterans are expected to file for disability claims next year, on top of a backlog of almost 1 million applicants.

The measure also boosts spending for Veterans Administration medical services in 2014 by $2.2 billion, a 5 percent increase that came even as the VA revealed earlier this year that it had overestimated medical care costs by $3 billion for this year and $2 billion for next.

VA medical programs are budgeted more than a year in advance to insulate them from the ups and downs of the budget process.

Pro-labor Republicans joined with Democrats to win 218-198 passage of an amendment by Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y., to strip a provision that would have blocked the Pentagon from requiring contractors to sign project labor agreements to secure federal contracts. Such agreements require contractors to negotiate with union officials, recognize union wages and generally abide by collective-bargaining agreements.

The veterans' measure is perhaps the most popular of the 12 annual spending bills that Congress must pass. It had been expected to pass easily despite a White House veto threat that was issued over moves by GOP leaders to break faith with last summer's budget deal by cutting overall funding for agency operating budgets by $19 billion, almost 2 percent.

The veto promise didn't find fault with the funding levels in the veterans' measure itself. Instead, it said the GOP moves on spending would force deep cuts to domestic programs like education, research and health care in subsequent legislation.

Disability claims from Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are running much higher than from veterans of prior conflicts. An estimated 21 percent of veterans filed claims after the first Gulf War in the early 1990s, government officials say.

What's more, these new veterans are claiming a greater number of ailments than veterans of prior conflicts like the Vietnam War and World War II.

Many factors are driving the dramatic increase in claims — the weak economy, more troops surviving wounds and more awareness of problems such as concussions and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Disability payments range from $127 a month for a 10 percent disability to $2,769 for a full one.

The measure also funds $10.6 billion in military construction projects.

Roughly half of the $148 billion measure is for veterans' pensions and disability payments over which lawmakers have little practical control. That includes a 20 percent, $10.5 billion increase for such payments.

The Associated Press reported earlier this week that 45 percent of the 1.6 million veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now seeking compensation for injuries they say are service-related. About 1.2 million veterans are expected to file for disability claims next year, on top of a backlog of almost 1 million applicants.

The measure also boosts spending for Veterans Administration medical services in 2014 by $2.2 billion, a 5 percent increase that came even as the VA revealed earlier this year that it had overestimated medical care costs by $3 billion for this year and $2 billion for next.

VA medical programs are budgeted more than a year in advance to insulate them from the ups and downs of the budget process.

Pro-labor Republicans joined with Democrats to win 218-198 passage of an amendment by Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y., to strip a provision that would have blocked the Pentagon from requiring contractors to sign project labor agreements to secure federal contracts. Such agreements require contractors to negotiate with union officials, recognize union wages and generally abide by collective-bargaining agreements.

The veterans' measure is perhaps the most popular of the 12 annual spending bills that Congress must pass. It had been expected to pass easily despite a White House veto threat that was issued over moves by GOP leaders to break faith with last summer's budget deal by cutting overall funding for agency operating budgets by $19 billion, almost 2 percent.

The veto promise didn't find fault with the funding levels in the veterans' measure itself. Instead, it said the GOP moves on spending would force deep cuts to domestic programs like education, research and health care in subsequent legislation.

Disability claims from Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are running much higher than from veterans of prior conflicts. An estimated 21 percent of veterans filed claims after the first Gulf War in the early 1990s, government officials say.

What's more, these new veterans are claiming a greater number of ailments than veterans of prior conflicts like the Vietnam War and World War II.

Many factors are driving the dramatic increase in claims — the weak economy, more troops surviving wounds and more awareness of problems such as concussions and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Disability payments range from $127 a month for a 10 percent disability to $2,769 for a full one.

The measure also funds $10.6 billion in military construction projects.

[sdemaggie]

Ever since FDR sent Eleanor out to speak with the WWI veterans encamped in DC increasing veterans' entitlements and defining veterans as a protected social class is a popular pastime of Congress and the Administration. Decrease entitlements, level the playing field for everyone-stop declaring protected social classes based upon service, gender, race, sexual orientation, etc.-end the madness.

[disinterested-3rd-party]

and the scam continues, rocketing the U.S. toward hyper-inflation. The really catchy disability is the post traumatic stress disorder thing. It has money written all over it, for a lifetime.

[venusvegasvada]

How about rescinding the travesty of changes made in 2003 and give all veterans that have served honorably the benefits they have coming and not hand select and pick and choose who is eligible after the fact based on some bean counters plan to save money.

What they did to a lot of Veterans in 2003 was a @#$@ing crime. Change it back to the way it was prior to that.

[Ourdoc1]

MY God did the editor of this even READ it? The same paragraphs are repeated several times. The story would have been a few lines instead of an entire page without the repeats. The first two paragraphs are repeated followed by the next 12 paragraphs repeated in its entirety.

Do you guys even HAVE an editor or are they just blind??

As far as your post fitstshu, any injury caused or that is a contributing factor during enlistment is service connected. If you choose not to take yours fine, but if a person has an injury that results in a disability that they would not have gotten if they didn't enlist, they deserve it and are granted it, it IS THE LAW.

I am a combat service connected disabled vet with a permanent disability that has caused many more disabilities over time due to the original injury (IE: a severe injury to a lower limb causing the leg to be shorter will more than likely eventually result in a back injury due to the spine now being displaced to one side or the other). You won't be young forever. Come back and let us know when you hit your 40's or 50's and tell us how you still haven't applied... we all know you will.

As far as getting approved, it's not simple and it does have to be proven with military documents. If you were entitled you would have received notice upon discharge after your exit medical. I bet it is not noted on your DD-214.

[fitstshu]

I'm 64

[TJphoto]

Politicians love to wrap themselves in the flag and tell voters " God Bless the Men & Women who served this Country". Back in Washington they have a hard time justifying the money they have to spend to help those they put in harm's way. As a Veteran myself I now know that we are expendable. BTW I am not collecting anything from the V.A. except basic health care and even for that I have to be means tested every year.

[fitstshu]

I'm all for Veterans benefits when they deserve it, but there are many non-combat claims that are not legit.They need to get some control over this so it goes to those that really need it.I'm a combat vet, and could get disabilty, but just won't go there.

PS I'm a democrat

[realtimecoffee]

First of all thank you for your service, and your restraint. I agree with your thoughts on controling those that would milk the system. I know times are hard for many returning vets, but syphoning off funds from those in real need is almost as bad as leaving a comrade behind on the field of battle.