CVA on VA Secretary’s Request to Shift Choice Card Funds: Be Skeptical
Despite Secretary McDonald’s claims, VA has shown hostility to Veteran Choice Card
Arlington, Va. – In response to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert McDonald’s testimony in front of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (HVAC) regarding the VA’s budget shortfall, Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) CEO Pete Hegseth issued the following statement on behalf of CVA:
“The VA is facing a budget shortfall for one reason: the VA’s own incompetence and inability to properly project and measure patient demand. This “11th hour budget crisis”, as described by Ranking Member Corrine Brown (D-FL), is of VA’s own making and accentuates the need for further accountability and congressional oversight at the Department. Unfortunately, Secretary McDonald’s testimony did not do much to reassure CVA that he is taking the proper steps to correct this problem or the larger issue of the VA’s inability to ensure timely access to health care to our veterans or even to properly manage taxpayer’s dollars. This should make Congress wary of either awarding the VA additional funds or allowing them to raid the fund for the Veteran Choice Program at will.
“Congress should also be skeptical of Secretary McDonald’s claims that he supports veteran health care choice and that his request to use funds allocated for the veteran choice card to offset the VA’s budget shortfall is not an attempt to undermine veteran health care choice. Some of Secretary McDonald’s deputies have been very open about the fact they are uncomfortable with the concept of veteran health care choice – making it hard to believe that the agency is committed to making the choice card work. Therefore, Congress needs to ensure that any legislative solution to solve the budget shortfall should protect veteran choice from the VA’s own bureaucrats.”
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