(U.S. Senate) – Chairman Jon Tester of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee today released the following statement on the Biden Administration’s proposed Fiscal Year 2023 budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA):

“Living up to the promises made to our nation’s veterans and their families starts with making sure VA has the resources to meet their growing needs. I’m glad the White House blueprint includes investments for brick-and-mortar infrastructure, increased staffing to tackle the claims backlog, and a modern VA health care system to expand veterans’ access to high-quality and timely care. We’ve got to see to it that taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly and in a way that best serves our veterans, and I look forward to hearing firsthand from VA Secretary McDonough on the Administration’s plan to do just that.”

The White House released its total budget request of $301.4 billion for the VA, an increase of $31.8 billion over fiscal year 2022 enacted levels. This includes:

• $13.9 billion for VA mental health care;
• $5.8 billion for VA Information Technology;
• $3 billion for the construction and expansion of critical VA infrastructure and facilities;
• $2.7 billion to end veteran homelessness;
• $1.8 billion for the VA Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers;
• $916 million for VA research;
• $767 million for women veterans’ gender specific care;
• $497 million to bolster veteran suicide prevention efforts;
• $430 million for the National Cemetery Administration to provide world-class memorial benefits to the nation’s veterans; and
• $120 million to tackle the disability claims backlog.