Media contact: Jeff Schrade (202)224-9093

(Washington, DC) Members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs will meet Tuesday to review the newly proposed 2008 budget for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.  Among the witnesses will be VA Secretary Jim Nicholson and other agency officials, as well as representatives from a variety of veterans groups.

The Bush administration has requested $86.7 billion next year for VA ? an 8 percent increase over this year's anticipated budget. The overall budget for VA has so far risen 70 percent since President Bush took office in 2001.

Every returning veteran has priority access to VA care, and a growing -- but still relatively small portion -- of VA's budget is spent on those who served in Iraq or Afghanistan. In 2006, VA spent 1.2 percent of its medical care budget on veterans who had served in those theaters. That percentage is expected to increase to 2 percent by 2008.

• The hearing will be held Tuesday, February 13, in room 418 of the Russell Senate Office Building and will begin at 9:30 a.m. Eastern.

  It is scheduled to be webcast live and available for viewing later on the Committee's website: http://veterans.senate.gov. Audio may also be available ? during the hearing only ? at http://www.capitolhearings.org.

  PANEL I

  The Honorable R. James Nicholson, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, accompanied by:

-- Michael Kussman, MD, MS, MACP, Acting Under Secretary for Health

-- The Honorable Daniel L. Cooper, Under Secretary for Benefits

-- The Honorable William F. Tuerk, Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs

-- Paul J. Hutter, Acting General Counsel

-- The Honorable Robert J. Henke, Assistant Secretary for Management

PANEL II

• Carl Blake, National Legislative Director, Paralyzed Veterans of America
• Joseph A. Violante, National Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans
• David Greineder, Deputy National Legislative Director, AMVETS
• Dennis M. Cullinan, Director, National Legislative Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars
• Steve Robertson, Director, National Legislative Commission, American Legion
• John Rowan, National President, Vietnam Veterans of America

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