VA Needs a 20% Budget Boost to Cover Coming Surge of Medical Costs, Veterans Groups Say – By Patricia Kime (Military.com) / February 7, 2022
The Department of Veterans Affairs will need at least $23 billion more than the Biden administration has requested for next year’s budget to meet growing demand for health care and services, according to a report released Monday by several large veterans’ organizations.
Most of the increase would go to health care provided by the VA and civilian providers to cover the cost of care deferred during the COVID-19 pandemic. With many patients delaying treatment or doctors’ visits because of the pandemic, the report anticipates a surge of more complicated and expensive medical care as patients return to routine medical appointments.
The report, known as the Independent Budget, calls for a 20% increase in the VA’s discretionary spending for fiscal 2023 — funding that doesn’t include mandatory obligations such as pensions and disability compensation — over the administration’s 2022 proposal, which has yet to be finalized by Congress.
