War injured toll soars, hits veterans health costs

Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – As the numbers of U.S. war injuredin Iraq and Afghanistan soared, the Bush administrationadmitted to lawmakers on Tuesday it had underestimated funds tocover health care costs for veterans and Congress would have toplug a $2.6 billion hole.

“The bottom line is there is a surge in demand in VA(health) services across the board,” said Veterans AffairsSecretary James Nicholson.

The Veterans Administration assumed it would have to takecare of 23,553 patients who are veterans from the wars in Iraqand Afghanistan but that number had been revised upward to103,000, Nicholson told a House of Representatives panel.

Nicholson told a House Appropriations subcommittee that hisagency’s estimate of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in need ofhealth care services was now four times greater than thought.

The updated figures underscored how the costs of the Iraqwar, approaching $300 billion, were rippling through otherparts of a federal budget already under tight spending limits.

Nicholson’s testimony, coming after his assurance toCongress in April that veterans’ health programs were beingadequately funded, angered some lawmakers.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewiscomplained during a hearing that the Veterans Administrationwas silent as his panel wrote a fiscal 2006 veterans spendingbill. The measure, he said, could have responded to the fundingshortage.

“It borders on stupidity,” said Lewis, a CaliforniaRepublican, adding, “I think someone was hoping they could hidethe ball for a while.”

At the same time, resources are being stretched by agingveterans from past wars who are suffering from “more maladies”than new veterans, Nicholson said.

Lewis said Congress will have to “move very quickly” toapprove additional funding, before the start of the next fiscalyear on Oct. 1. But he did not say whether other programs wouldhave to be cut to pay for the fix.

The Senate debated on Tuesday a proposal by a group ofDemocrats to add $1.4 billion to veterans’ health care fundingfor next year.

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada chidedRepublicans for finally acknowledging a problem. He noted thatearly attempts by Democrats to add money for veterans healthcare were “voted down on a strictly partisan vote.”

The House already has approved a fiscal 2006 veteransfunding bill that is about $1.1 billion above the Bushadministration’s request. Lawmakers said that will take care ofpart of the health-care funding problem, which still must bereviewed by the Senate.

Nicholson said his agency is in intensive discussions withthe Office of Management and Budget on a request that is likelyto be around $1.5 billion in additional funds.

Meanwhile, a $1 billion health-care funding shortage isbeing taken care of this year, Nicholson said, by tapping areserve fund and deferring some maintenance and equipmentacquisition costs, moves criticized by Democrats.

While Nicholson said veterans’ health care was not beingcompromised by the budget problem, some Democrats wereskeptical, citing a veterans health clinic closing inCalifornia, cutbacks at an Arlington, Virginia, veterans’medical center and supply shortages in Chicago.

Veterans groups have complained that funding is not keepingpace with inflation and rising medical costs and that veteransin some parts of the country experience long waits for care.