DATE: September 13, 2002

Congress has returned to Washington in what looks to be a very busy
couple of weeks before the November elections. This week, along with
their full agenda, many members traveled to memorial sites and paid
homage to the victims of September 11th.

Senator Johnson Introduces VA Health Care Funding Act









Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD), recently introduced S 2903 on the heels
of HVAC Chairman Chris Smith's bill (HR 5250) calling for a guaranteed
adequate
level of funding for veterans health care. The Veterans Health Care
Funding
Guarantee Act would move the VA health care system from discretionary
to
mandatory spending. The bill would establish a base-line funding year
and
calculate the average cost of a veteran using the VA health care
system.
It would then provide funding for the total number of veterans who
participate in the VA health care system. According to Johnson, the VA
estimates that it will see an additional 1.2 million patients over the
next
fiscal year, bringing the number of veterans served through VHA to 4.9
million
in 2004.
For more information on both bills go to http://thomas.loc.gov/


Sempers,

Roger