Fully fund the Veterans Administration

Congress votes to put VA health programs on a two-year budget

Updated: Monday, October 12th, 2009 | By Catharine Richert

President Barack Obama made the Veterans Administration a priority on the campaign trail, and under his watch, so is Congress.

On Oct. 8, 2009, the House of Representatives voted to put the VA's health care programs on a two-year budget cycle — an effort to make sure the government gets money to the program on time. In recent years, Congress has been late in approving funds for veterans' health care.

The Senate already approved the plan as part of the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009.

Under the new plan, appropriations for VA medical programs would be approved one year ahead of time. Specifically, the advance cash would be for medical services, medical support and compliance, and medical facilities.

While this money is only one part of the VA's budget, the effort signals Obama is taking steps toward fulfilling his promise of fully funding the department. We advance his pledge to In the Works.

Sources: Congressional Quarterly, House Approves Two-Year Budgeting for VA Health Programs, by Greg Vadala, Oct. 8, 2009 (subscription only access). The Hill, Violante: The soldier's voice on Capitol Hill , by Roxana Tiron, Oct. 5, 2009 OpenCongress.org, H.R.1016 - Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009 , accessed Oct. 12, 2009