From Military.com:
“The VA Just
Got $17 Billion in COVID Relief Money. Here’s How They Plan to Spend It”
The Department
of Veterans Affairs just received over $17 billion as part of the American
Rescue Plan Act of 2021. How will they spend that money? Of the $17
billion-plus in emergency funding that will add to the department’s $243
billion fiscal 2021 budget, which runs through Sept. 30, $10 billion is
earmarked directly for health-care and homeless programs. Another $4 billion is
allocated to the Community Care or MISSION program that provides medical care
from civilian providers in certain cases. That means that the majority of the
emergency funding will go right back to caring for veterans. While no special
or individual programs have been announced by the VA, the fact that the funding
is earmarked to provide services directly to veterans is not a bad thing. Another
$1 billion of the emergency funding goes to cover the medical bills of
veterans. According to the law, that money is earmarked to write off veterans
copayments for medical care provided by the VA from April 2020 through
September 2021. Still more money is going to help veterans who were affected
economically by the COVID-19 crisis. A total of $386 million is designated for
the Veteran Rapid Retraining Assistance Program, which offers up to 12 months
of cash payments to eligible veterans who enroll in job training programs for
high-demand jobs.
The
remaining money is divided between several programs, including:
$100 million to
modernize VA’s health-care supply chain
$750 million in
grants to state veterans homes and nursing homes
$272 million to
speed up compensation claims processing and appeals
$80 million to
pay for special medical leave for VA employees affected by COVID-19
$10 million to
the VA’s Inspector General program to keep tabs on all that money.
This $17
billion is in addition to $19.5 billion in emergency funding provided to the VA
as part of the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES
Act).
^ The VA and
the Veterans they serve desperately needed this money and the improvements it
will foster. Although I am concerned about the $10 Million to the VA's Inspector General to keep tabs on all the money. That seems a bit excessive. ^
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