THIS IS A PRESS RELEASE FROM THE OFFICE OF UNITED STATES SENATOR JAY ROCKEFELLER.

Washington, DC – Over the objections of President Bush, Senator Jay Rockefeller this weekend voted to invest federal funding for veterans health and meet the critical needs of West Virginia’s veterans and active duty service members.

The measure also includes a provision that Rockefeller fought for to increase the mileage reimbursement rate for West Virginia’s veterans that travel to and from clinics from 28.5 cents to 41.5 cents to help with the rising cost of gas. This is the second increase that Rockefeller has worked to enact. In 2007, he pushed to raise the original reimbursement rate from 11 cents to 28.5 cents – the first increase in 31 years.

“Over the last year, we’ve opened two new VA clinics in our state, expanding the reach of VA health care, and bringing these services closer to the communities where our veterans live. But some veterans still have to drive some distance to seek treatment. That’s why I fought to increase the mileage reimbursement rate to help with rising gas prices and encourage veterans to get the care they need,” Rockefeller said. “There’s still much more work to do to meet the growing needs of all our veterans, and I won’t stop fighting until we do.”

“West Virginia’s veterans deserve every possible resource and then some. I’ve fought hard over the years to make sure that our veterans have the resources and quality of care they need,” Rockefeller said. “I was proud to vote for this bill that invests more money for veterans health care, adds additional claims processors to work through the backlog of paperwork, and helps veterans with substance abuse and mental health problems.”

“It’s mystifying to me that along the way, President Bush has consistently failed to meet the needs of our veterans. He has routinely underfunded the VA budget. That’s not right, and together with West Virginia veterans we’ve fought the president at every turn and won,” Rockefeller said. “West Virginia’s veterans are very special people to me. I’m honored to work with them and will always stand with them in lock-step.”

Despite President Bush’s initial objections, the bill provides a $1.8 billion increase for veterans health care programs nationwide. This will allow the VA to meet the needs of Americans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, while honoring ongoing commitment to care for those who served in past conflicts.

Key highlights of the measure also include:

· Increasing enrollment of Priority 8 veterans, ensuring that we keep our commitment to all veterans;

· Adding roughly 2,000 additional claims processors to work down the backlog of benefits claims and to reduce the time to process new claims;

· Providing veterans with advanced prosthetics;

· Making substantial increases to mental health and substance abuse;

· Providing additional resources for veterans who live where the Department does not offer sufficient medical services;

· Increasing the gas mileage reimbursement rate from 28.5 cents to 41.5 cents per mile and freezing the deductible for veterans traveling long distances for care; and,

· Providing additional resources to improve the quality of life, living conditions and health care of West Virginia’s active duty service members and their families.