January 9, 2009
The Honorable Barack Obama
President-elect of the United States
Presidential Transition Office
Washington, DC
Dear President-elect Obama:
On behalf of the eight million veterans represented by the nine national veterans
service organizations in The Partnership for Veterans Health Care Budget
Reform, we are writing to urge you to recommend passage of advance
appropriations legislation for the FY 2010 appropriations cycle in your first
budget request and legislative program. We were pleased to read recent news
accounts reporting Veterans Affairs Secretary-designee Eric Shinseki’s support
for the advance appropriations proposal. The inclusion of this proposal in your
first budget submission would send a strong signal to the leadership of the 111th
Congress and the veterans’ community of your firm commitment to change the
funding process for veterans’ health care.
Notwithstanding the recent achievements of the 110th Congress for veterans, VA
has received its annual funding for health care programs late in 19 of the last 22
years. Over the past seven years, VA received its final budget an average of
three months after the start of the new fiscal year. Not knowing when or what
level of funding will be approved from year to year hinders the ability of VA
officials to efficiently plan and responsibly manage this exceptional health care
system. Compounding the problem are new demands placed on the VA system:
over the past decade the number of veterans treated at VA facilities has almost
doubled and the newest generation of wartime veterans has increasingly complex
mental and physical health care needs that may require a lifetime of care.
The Partnership for Veterans Health Care Budget Reform remains committed to
fundamentally change the way veterans’ health care is funded. While mandatory
funding has been the focus over the past several years, The Partnership developed
an alternative approach to achieve the same critical goals as mandatory funding –
sufficient, timely and predictable funding – which is embodied in the Veterans
Health Care Budget Reform Act (S. 3527 / H.R. 6939) introduced last year by
Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel Akaka and House
Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner, respectively. This legislation
would authorize Congress to approve appropriations for veterans’ health care one
year in advance of the start of the fiscal year, and add greater transparency and
integrity to VA’s internal budget process to ensure sufficient funding levels are
ultimately approved.
President-elect Barack Obama
January 9, 2009
Page 2
The Veterans Health Care Budget Reform Act received strong bipartisan support from leaders in the
110
Congress, including you, Sen. John McCain and others. Along with The Partnership , thelegislation has also been endorsed by The Military Coalition, comprised of 35 organizations
representing more than 5.5 million members of the uniformed services – active duty, National
Guard, Reserve, retired, former officers, and their families – and the American Federation of
Government Employees (AFGE). In addition, a growing list of more than two dozen former highranking
VA officials, including medical center directors, regional health care network directors,
Under Secretaries, Assistant Secretaries, and Secretaries, have joined together to support this
commonsense funding reform. A national survey commissioned by Disabled American Veterans
(DAV) last year also showed that more than 80% of the American public supports reforming VA
health care funding through an advance appropriations process.
Mr. President-elect, we agree with your statement that it is time to, “… end the unpredictability and
inadequacy of VA’s discretionary funding process and instead, use an advance appropriations
process that would allow Congress to provide VA health care dollars in advance and allow for
improved planning and predictability.” As you and your transition team continue developing your
first budget request and legislative program, we urge you to include clear language requesting
advance appropriations for VA medical care accounts. We stand ready to work with you, VA
Secretary-designee Eric Shinseki, OMB Director-designee Peter Orzag, and others in your transition
team and incoming Administration to ensure that this vital budgetary reform is enacted into law
early in the 111th Congress.
Respectfully,
JOHN SOMMER JAMES B. KING
Executive Director Executive Director
The American Legion AMVETS (American Veterans)
THOMAS MILLER DAVID W.GORMAN
Executive Director Executive Director
Blinded Veterans Association Washington Headquarters
Disabled American Veterans
HERB ROSENBLEETH JOHN P. LEONARD, III
National Executive Director Acting National Adjutant
Jewish War Veterans of the USA Military Order of the Purple Heart
of the U.S.A., Inc.
President-elect Barack Obama
January 9, 2009
Page 3
HOMER TOWNSEND ROBERT WALLACE
Executive Director Executive Director
Paralyzed Veterans of America Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United
States
RICHARD F. WEIDMAN
Director of Government Relations
Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc.
c: Veterans Affairs Secretary-designee Eric Shinseki
OMB Director-designee Peter Orzag
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
House Minority Leader John Boehner
Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel Akaka
Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Burr
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Steve Buyer
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye
Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Thad Cochran
House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey
House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Jerry Lewis
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad
Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Judd Gregg
House Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt
House Budget Committee Ranking Member Paul Ryan
