Wars weigh on VA health care, experts say

http://vawatchdog.org/07/nf07/nfJUN07/nf060307-1.htm

Wars weigh on VA health care, experts say

By Steve Liewer
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

SAN DIEGO – Even with big boosts in funding, the Veterans Affairs medical system is sagging under the burden of treating wounded troops from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, several experts on veterans' health said during a forum Thursday night at UCSD.

Congress has approved a $13 billion spending increase – about 30 percent – for the VA in the coming year, said Rep. Bob Filner, D-San Diego, chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.

But he suggested that additional money can't create an overnight transformation.

Nearly six years of warfare have produced about 700,000 veterans, he said, and more than 200,000 of them have filed claims with the VA.

“The system is at its breaking point,” Filner said.

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