Congress asks VA Secretary to open VA doors to Category 8 veterans

A copy of the letter is below:

March 14, 2008



The Honorable James B. Peake, MD

Secretary of Veterans Affairs

810 Vermont Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20420



Dear Secretary Peake:

We write to ask you to address the ban on enrollment of middle-income veterans - so-called Priority 8 veterans - who wish to receive their health care through VA. VA's own estimates suggest that as many as 1.5 million middle-income veterans are still awaiting, or have been denied, enrollment. Many earn as little as $28,430 per year.

As Secretary, you have full authority to redefine the income threshold for eligibility, and we urge you to do so in order to allow more veterans entry into the VA health care system. You stated before the Senate Committee on February 13, 2008, that you would be willing to examine raising the threshold and would work with the Committee to this end. We are following up on that pledge.

The President banned enrollment of new Priority 8 veterans on January 17, 2003. The rationale for the ban was overcrowding in the VA health care system. Yet, in testimony before the Senate Committee on February 13, 2008, you stated that VA is on track to "virtually eliminate the waiting list [for health care appointments] by the end of next year."

Given that Congress recently provided VA, in the Fiscal Year 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act, with a record funding increase of $6.7 billion over Fiscal Year 2007, we believe that VA has the capacity and resources to serve more middle-income veterans. We also note that many Priority 8 veterans have private health care coverage and would be subject to existing copayments for care. These veterans would effectively bring revenue into the system and would offset some of the cost of their care.

Mr. Secretary, we urge you to investigate real options for re-opening the VA health care system to middle-income veterans. We look forward to working with you to meet our mutual obligation to those who have served our country.

Sincerely,



Daniel K. Akaka

Bob Filner

John D. Rockefeller IV,

Patty Murray,

Barack Obama

Bernard Sanders

Sherrod Brown

Jim Webb

Jon Tester

Corrine Brown

Michael H. Michaud

Stephanie Herseth Sandlin

John J. Hall

Shelley Berkley

Ciro Rodriguez

Joe Donnelly

Jerry McNerney

Zachary T. Space

Harry E. Mitchell

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