(Washington, DC) - Late last week, Congressman Baron Hill voted to support our troops and honor our veterans by funding critical veterans’ health services and the construction of key facilities for training and housing our military under the Fiscal Year 2010 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act.  The legislation passed by a bipartisan vote of 415 to 3 Friday afternoon.

With passage of this bill, Congress has provided a 58 percent increase in funding for veterans health care and benefits since January 2007.  This funding has resulted in a total increase of 8,300 claims processors, 145 community-based outpatient clinics, 70 Vet Centers, and more than 47,000 additional Veterans Health Administration employees. These additional resources will provide our veterans with their benefits more quickly and improve access to health care and other services. 

“This bill strengthens quality health care services so many veterans rely on, and funds the construction of barracks that define our troops’ quality of life,” Hill said. “These are absolute necessities for the brave men and women who serve our nation.”

The Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act will strengthen quality health care for more than six million patients – including 419,000 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill also provides advance funds for veterans’ health services in 2011, so that funding for our veterans’ health care is timely, reliable, and never held hostage by political maneuvering.

“The medical needs of our veterans should never fall prey to delayed funding or political posturing,” Hill said. “With advance funding, we can ensure that crucial veterans’ health care services are never interrupted.”

The legislation includes additional oversight and auditing of our veterans health care system, and new practices to improve access to care for veterans in rural areas. The bill also invests in mental health services and critical medical and prosthetic research to serve our wounded warriors returning from battle. 

To support our troops, the bill provides funding to construct key facilities for training and housing, addressing the unfunded backlog of barracks for the young men and women entering the service. It also includes funding for the guard and reserve initiative, to recognize the critical contribution made by reserve personnel and address urgent unfunded requirements. It takes additional steps to support the military families who give so much in service to this country – with military child care centers, military family housing, and additional Vets Centers to provide community-based readjustment counseling for veterans and their families.

“Supporting our troops and veterans means taking action to provide for them, not just repeating rhetoric,” Hill said.  “I am proud to be part of a Congress that makes these issues a top priority.”
 
The bill is strongly supported by major veterans service organizations such as the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, AMVETS, and many others.