Advance funding for VA still an uphill battle

Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki’s Wednesday testimony before a key congressional panel included a buzzkill for the top priority of veterans service groups — advanced funding for veterans health care programs.

Advanced funding is a mechanism, endorsed by President Barack Obama, under which Congress would approve veterans health care budgets one year in advance to avoid any lapse in funding if an annual appropriations bill isn’t approved on time, as often happens.

All major veterans service organizations approve the idea, and have put it at the top of their combined legislative agenda for the year.

But as Shinseki appeared before the House appropriations subcommittee responsible for veterans funding to discuss the 2010 budget, Rep. Zach Wamp of Tennessee, the panel’s ranking Republican, rained on the advanced appropriations parade.

Wamp said he does not support the idea because he believes it would reduce congressional oversight and make the powerful appropriators who dole out federal funding irrelevant.

And in a little dig at Shinseki, Wamp said he was well aware the Obama administration also has had doubts. Shinseki himself told Congress that he preferred timely annual budgets over advance appropriations, a statement made in February before Obama held an April 9 news conference to announce he was siding with veterans groups on the issue.

Wamp’s views that advanced funding reduces appropriations committee members’ power — shared by other members — is one reason why the initiative still faces an uphill fight.

It could only succeed if the House and Senate appropriations committees approve a two-year budget, one for 2010 and another for 2011, and there is no indication they plan to do so.

ARLINGTON, Va., – Many health issues may arise after a National Guard member returns from a combat deployment. Some wounds are physical and are spotted easily. Others, such as traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, are not as obvious, and may take some time to develop. To help identify these problems, the Army has developed a post-deployment health reassessment, or PDHRA, to evaluate soldiers after they return home.

As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Army National Guard is calling attention to this program as it proactively screens redeploying Guard members for potential health issues.

“We want to look out after and safeguard every soldier in the Army National Guard,” said Maj. Anthony McGinthy, the PDHRA program manager for the Army National Guard surgeon’s office.

The program gives Guard members a chance to identify problems three to six months after deployment. This window gives them a chance to settle into life and work, and to evaluate their health over that period. If combat-connected health problems arise, soldiers can report it during their PDHRA to become eligible for care.

“This is a way for soldiers to seek care that they need, whether that be behavioral, mental or physical” after deployment, McGinthy said.

The program consists of three parts. First, Guard members see the “Battlemind II” training video, which shows common readjustment issues for veterans. Then they complete a questionnaire detailing their health. After that, they sit down with a trained health care provider for a 45-minute, one-on-one conversation. During that talk, qualified medical professionals ask questions about contact information, deployment location and health history.

Soldiers also are informed of the types of assistance for which they are eligible, which may include health care at a Veterans Affairs hospital, and they get an opportunity to request assistance. The health care provider will then refer the soldier for follow-up care, treatment or evaluation if necessary.

“One of the things we do during the screening is advise them of their resources and link them to further care when needed,” McGinthy said, noting that about 50 percent of soldiers who complete the PDHRA receive follow-on care.

This proactive approach means that even Guard members returning from their second or third tour will not find themselves exempt, McGinthy said. “Every time they come back from a deployment, they will be screened,” he said.