Jan 25, 2006- Kaptur: Administration is Failing America's Veterans

TOLEDO, OHIO - Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-9) released the following statement inresponse to data released today showing that the Department of Veterans Affairs(VA) turned away nearly 10,000 (see page 2) Ohio veterans who appliedfor VA health care in FY 2005 due to the Administration's enrollment ban. More than 260,000 veterans nationwide applied to receive health care at the VAbut were turned away because of the Bush Administration's cost-cutting decisionto limit veterans' access to VA hospitals, clinics and medications. Kaptur has joined congressional Democrats in calling on President Bush to seekadequate funding in FY 2007 to allow these veterans to get care and medicationsat the VA. The Administration will submit its budget request to the Congress onFebruary 6. The statement follows:

"The cornerstone at the Department of Veterans Affairs from the timeof Abraham Lincoln has read: 'To care for them who shall have borne thebattle, their widows, and their orphans.' Why can this Administrationnot keep that promise?

"Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, and the World War II, Korean, Vietnam,and Persian Gulf War vets who served in years past are lined up,waiting to get into the VA health care system. We know we needadditional funds for veterans' health care. We seem to be able to findmoney for everything else, yet the Administration cannot get it right,or does not want to get it right on veterans care.

"Democrats in Congress have worked to secure expanded healthbenefits to veterans, guardsmen and reservists, by supporting increasesin hardship benefits, imminent danger pay, the elimination ofout-of-pocket housing expenses, and family separation allowance. Wewill not stop fighting until our veterans get the benefits they haveearned."

Kaptur is a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee anduntil last year, when she was elected to the coveted House DefenseAppropriations Subcommittee, has consistently served on the Veterans'committees. Her bill to create the National World War II Memorial, a17-year effort from start to finish, was dedicated in2004.

Fact Sheet

Data from the Department of Veterans Affairs indicates that the VA turned away nearly 10,000 Ohio veterans who applied for VA health care in FY 2005 due to the Administration's enrollment ban [state-by-state list follows]. CongresswomanKaptur said she is concerned that the number of veterans shut out of VAhealth care is considerably larger because veterans are discouragedfrom even applying for care.

STATE-BY-STATE IMPACT OF ENROLLMENT BAN IN FY 2005

Number of veterans in each state and territory who applied forVA-provided health care and who were refused enrollment in FY 2005because of the Administration's decision to bar access for new Priority8 veterans.

AK 578

AL 5,004

AR 4,983

AZ 5,835

CA 17,378

CO 3,599

CT 2,651

DC 164

DE 877

FL 27,465

GA 7,062

HI 710

IA 4,762

ID 1,608

IL 8,944

IN 5,700

KS 2,878

KY 4,506

LA 4,893

MA 3,509

MD 3,051

ME 2,403

MI 5,942

MN 5,319

MO 5,552

MS 4,308

MT 1,956

NC 10,405

ND 927

NE 1,991

NH 1,434

NJ 4,808

NM 1,851

NV 2,111

NY 9,357

OH 9,764

OK 4,013

OR 4,162

PA 13,262

RI 1,045

SC 5,964

SD 1,201

TN 6,165

TX 19,204

UT 1,361

VA 5,459

VT 751

WA 4,584

WI 6,622

WV 2,550

WY 777

Guam/Puerto Rico/

Virgin Islands 1,059

Unknown/ Other Territory 793

TOTAL: 263,257

Note: A new priority 8 veteran does not receive a monetary VAbenefit for a service-connected disability; has an income that is abovethe established national and geographic threshold; and, applied forenrollment after January 17, 2003. In 2005, the national income meansthreshold for a single veteran was $25,842. The geographic meansthreshold for 2005 by state and county can be found at the VA's Website at https://www.va.gov/healtheligibility/costs/docs/GMT_Income_Thresholds_2004.pdf

Data from the Department of Veterans Affairs.