“The White House’s proposed fiscal 2020 budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs would increase funding for the third straight year — $220 billion in total spending to support consolidation of the VA’s private health programs, modernize its technology infrastructure and expand the national cemetery system. It’s an increase of nearly 11 percent from last year’s $198.6 billion total VA budget proposal…”
“The proposed budget would provide $8.9 billion to implement the VA Mission Act and $1.6 billion for modernizing the VA’s medical records system, with a goal of deploying a new electronic health system compatible with the Defense Department’s system at three initial sites, with more to follow.”
“The budget also would support expansion of the VA’s caregiver program to include those who care for veterans injured on duty before Sept. 11, 2001. And it would fund the technology infrastructure needed to implement the program, although the initial budget releases did not state the amount of funding allocated to expand the caregiver program.”
“The budget includes a 4.2 percent increase to the VA’s National Cemetery Administration to support opening five new cemeteries across the country and sustain 144 current cemeteries and sites. The funding also would help support the transfer of 11 cemeteries from the Department of the Army to the VA…” Read the full article here.
Source: VA Budget Poised to Grow for 3rd Straight Year – By Patricia Kime, March 11, 2019. Military.com.
