There is progress in Washington for veterans suffering from mental illness. By a vote of 409-4 the House on Friday approved funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs, which includes $3.8 billion for mental illness treatment and $584 million for substance abuse treatment in the VA, significant increases over current funding. All local representatives voted yes, with the exception of Congressman George Radanovich, R-Mariposa, who did not vote.
Mental health care is exceedingly important for veterans, as reports show the rates of suicide and substance abuse are above the national average.
I got an e-mail from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Friday, which reported that homeless veterans will also get extra help in this bill, an issue which has been of particular concern in the Valley:
HR 6599 allocates $130 million for the homeless grants and per diem program, rejecting a proposal from the Bush Administration to cut the program by $8 million. This allocation also includes $32 million to hire additional personnel as part of the joint HUD-VA "VASH" program for veterans supportive housing. A separate bill funding the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) appropriates an additional $75 million at HUD for rent subsidies.The bill also includes $500 million for medical research at the VA, $38 million more than the president requested and $20 million more than was allocated in the current budget.
With House action on the VA spending bill, Congress has now adjourned for its summer recess and will not return to Washington until the week of September 8. In September, these will be efforts to complete action on HR 6599 before FY 2009 begins on October 1. However, the other FY 2009 discretionary spending bills - including those covering mental illness research, services and housing programs are unlikely to be passed before October 1. As a result these other programs are expected to be funded after October 1 at current FY 2008 levels - perhaps through March of 2009.
There are also many other benefits listed; take a look at the full document here.
Because of brevity employed in blogging, one might get the mistaken impression that I am fixated on Ronald Reagan. ButI am sure there are many people who remember when Governor Reagan
took the money from the care of the war related mentally affected service man and dumped onto the streets of California.
It is good that the federal government will help the Iraq war affected
soldiers back to mental health.
Awesome they deserve to have better services and hopefully they will use it and get on their feet again.
I think there is a signficant oppurtunity for misuse of money by all these Alphabet organizations.How much will actually reach our service personnel after it goes through all those hands?More useful info would be who and why the four voted against it, what President Bush used as criteria in his decisions and where was Congressman Radanovich?Pretty impotant legislation not to have voted on.Bad PR move.
Harpers Index says; according to the Pentagon's projected figures on the long term care for all Gulf war Veterans, (this genocide is, after all in it's 17th year,) will exceed one trillion dollars, and includes hundreds of thousands of victims of depleted uranium exposure who will require lifetime care. What kind of country poisons it's own soldiers?