# Veterans Affairs Budget

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veterans-affairs-budget/278929>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 9, 2004, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veterans-affairs-budget/278929 "2004-12-09T15:46:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Kel\_Varnsen\_Latex\_Division](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@Kel\_Varnsen\_Latex\_Division](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kel_Varnsen_Latex_Division)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veterans-affairs-budget/278929/1 "2004-12-09T15:46:03Z")

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How much has the VA budget been increased in the past 4 years?

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**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veterans-affairs-budget/278929/2 "2004-12-09T17:00:48Z")

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See [http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2005/va.html](http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2005/va.html)

You can find a table at the bottom of the page summarizing the budget for FY2001 and FY2003 (actual), as well as FY2004 and FY2005 (estimated).

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**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/veterans-affairs-budget/278929/3 "2004-12-09T18:17:00Z")

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To put the numbers in a bit of perspective, the “VA Independent Budget,” which is the funding levels recommended by veterans service organizations (like the Paralyzed Vets of America, VFW, etc) recommended a funding level for health care about $3 billion higher than the Administration’s request ($27.4 billion vs. $30.3 billion). They argue that this is the funding needed to maintain the level of services for all vets that were enjoyed in 1996 (when a VA health care reform law was enacted), and not to turn away higher-income veterans who do not have service connected disabilities.

[Fairly big pdf](http://www.pva.org/independentbudget/pdf/IB_05_intro.pdf)