This report originally appeared in the December 2009 issue of DOTmed Business News
President Obama has signed into law the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act. The intention is to ensure timely and predictable funding to support the delivery of quality medical care for veterans and provide time for the Veterans Affairs (VA) Department to plan care delivery.
The law provides that for each fiscal year, beginning with fiscal year 2011, the budget for the medical care accounts of the VA shall be made available in advance. By July 31 of each year, the Department Secretary shall submit to Congress an annual report on the sufficiency of the Department's resources for the next fiscal year beginning after the date of the submittal of the report for the provision of medical care. The report will include estimates of the workload and demand data for that fiscal year.
In a speech at the signing, President Obama stated, "With this legislation we're fundamentally reforming how we fund health care for our veterans. With advance appropriations, veterans' medical care will be funded a year in advance...For VA hospitals and clinics, it means more time to budget, to recruit high-quality professionals, and to invest in new health care equipment. And most of all, for our veterans it will mean better access to the doctors and nurses and the medical care that they need: specialized care for our wounded warriors with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries...In short, this is common-sense reform."
