WASHINGTON—The House is scheduled on Sept. 17 to vote on a bill to give about $2.9 billion in additional funding to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) due to the agency experiencing a budget shortfall, according to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.).
The measure would give almost $2.29 billion for veteran compensation and pensions and almost $570,000 for benefits to help veterans readjust to civilian life.
The bill, no later than 30 days after its enactment, would require the VA secretary to submit a report to the Senate and House Veterans and Appropriations Committees on how the VA will improve its budget projections when requesting funding from Congress.
The legislation, no later than 60 days after its enactment, would require the secretary to submit a report to those congressional committees about the status of the funds for the 2024, 2025, and 2026 fiscal years. Such a report would need to be submitted every 90 days thereafter until Sept. 30, 2026. The federal fiscal year starts on Oct. 1 and ends Sept. 30.
The bill would also require the inspector general of the VA to review what was behind the $11.97 billion shortfall for fiscal year 2025 for the Veterans Health Administration, which deals with benefits for veterans.
There was a $2.88 billion shortfall in the 2024 fiscal year, according to House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.).
The White House has not said whether it supports the bill. The Epoch Times has reached out to the White House to ask if President Joe Biden would sign it if it comes to his desk.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. (VFW), which is “the largest and oldest war veterans service organization,” according to its website, supports the bill.
“Veterans, families, survivors, caregivers, earned these benefits through service and we are not the ones who created this shortfall issue, and should not be the ones who are facing the burden of possibly not having some of these benefits checks come through by Oct. 1,” Patrick Murray, legislative director for the VFW, told The Epoch Times.
“So we support making this right, so that the men and women who serve this country aren’t facing undue hardships,” he continued.
In a statement to The Epoch Times, the VA explained the shortfall was due to factors including, but limited to, the VA receiving more health care enrollments, its facilities being busier—though wait times have gone down due to the agency offering additional appointment slots and both night and weekend clinics—and veterans applying for and getting more benefits.
