Just when you think the coast is clear to move out on the recently passed VA MISSION Act - the historic bill MOAA's been working on for over two years - lawmakers put a halt on funding the massive health care reform bill over a dispute on how to pay for VA health care going forward.
A House and Senate conference committee was set to meet July 12 on a fiscal year (FY) 2019 “minibus” spending package for the departments of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Energy and the legislative branch, but the meeting was canceled before members could come together to work out differences between the Senate and House bills.
“It's all about funding the VA,” Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) told reporters following the meeting's cancellation. “Do we break the caps? Do we prorate everything else, cut other veteran programs to fund this? We've got a shortfall, and we need to work it out.”
Up until this point, the minibus was expected to move rather quickly through the process and be finalized well before the August congressional recess. At the heart of the dispute is how to pay for the $1.6 billion bridge funding required to keep the ailing Choice program operating for another year, until a newly consolidated and streamlined VA community care program can be put in place - a move needed to prevent disruption in veterans' care. The new community care program is expected to expand access to health care and provide more options for veterans, whether they seek care in the VA or through private community providers.
The $1.6 billion shortfall is a small fraction of the larger VA MISSION Act, which is expected to cost around $52 billion. While the MISSION Act provided partial funding for Choice through May 2019, no agreement has been reached on the source of that funding for the remainder of FY 2019 and beyond.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), vice chair of the Appropriations Committee, voiced his disappointment with the delay in a statement following the cancellation: “We do our veterans no favors when we make promises to them that we cannot keep. Our veterans made a commitment to our country, and the very least we should do is keep or country's commitment to them.”
MOAA agrees lawmakers need to keep our country's commitment to those who serve. Lawmakers in both chamber overwhelmingly voted to pass the VA MISSION Act. Now it is time to set aside differences and reach agreement on how to pay for the bill so it can move forward for full implementation.
If an agreement is not reached, the shortfall for VA health care will increase from $1.6 billion in FY 2019 to $8.67 billion in FY 2020 and $9.5 billion in FY 2021.
While there has been no signal from appropriators to reschedule the conference meeting, negotiations continue behind the scenes. MOAA and other VSOs are engaging with staffers on Capitol Hill to quickly achieve a favorable resolution - one that does not require cutting other VA health care programs or veterans' benefits to pay for these shortfalls.