[March 06, 2013]

Paralyzed Veterans of America Testifies Before Congress to Urge Sufficient and Timely Funding for VA Programs

Today Paralyzed Veterans of America (Paralyzed Veterans) National President Bill Lawson urged Congressional leaders to protect Department of Veterans Affairs' health care from politics and to provide sufficient and timely funding for VA programs.

"We cannot emphasize enough the importance of ensuring that sufficient, timely and predictable funding is provided to the VA. Once again this year, Congress failed to fully complete the appropriations process, instead choosing to fund the federal government through a 6-month Continuing Resolution. This 'business as usual' --- for funding the federal government -- is simply unacceptable," Lawson told lawmakers.

In oral and written testimony before the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees, Lawson expressed Paralyzed Veterans' concern regarding recent changes that have been made to the VA Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service-changes that have resulted in delayed delivery of prosthetic devices, diminishing of quality service delivery for disabled veterans, and prolonged hospital stays for veterans waiting for prosthetic equipment.

"We have heard complaints from many of our members who have been negatively impacted by this change. It is time for the Committees to take an active role in the oversight of these prosthetics changes," said Lawson.

Lawson also addressed concerns regarding the Veteran Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) being run like "autonomous entities in a fragmented system, with inconsistent policies and budgetary turf battles that leave many veterans faced with delayed or denied access to care or prosthetics items - thus defying the notion of there being 'One VA'."

He concluded his testimony by stating:

"Even in times of national economic difficulty and profound organizational transformation, our Nation's security is still preserved by the men and women who take the oath and believe in the Country's promise to care for him or her should they suffer injury or disease….But until we have 21 VISNs that operate with a common purpose, under common policies, variability between VISNs will create even more gaps in which the most vulnerable veterans will fall. We hear 'One VA'. Now show us 'One VA'."

About Paralyzed Veterans of America:

Paralyzed Veterans was founded by a group of seriously injured American heroes from the "Greatest Generation" of World War II. They created a nonprofit organization to meet the challenges that they faced back in the 1940s - from a medical community not ready to treat them to an inaccessible world. For more than 66 years, Paralyzed Veterans' national office and 34 chapters across the nation have been making America a better place for all veterans and people with disabilities. (www.pva.org)

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