http://veterans.house.gov/democratic/welcome.htmWashington --The Bush Administration failed to fund its promised $300 million to address gaps in access and quality of mental health services for veterans over the last two years, according to GAO findings delivered to the House committee today.
Preiminary findings of the GAO study, requested by Rep M. Michaud (D-ME) and Lane Evans (D-IL) show the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) actually budgeted only half (About $53 million) of the $100 million it had committed to mental health care initiatives in fiscal year 2005. VA also claimed to allocate another $35 million in FY 2005 through a general fund, but GAO found VA did not notify networks that these funds were to be used for Mental Health plan iniatives and that medical center officials were unaware that any portion og their general allocation was to be specifically used for mental health strategic plan initiatives. VA did not distribute the remaining $12 million of the promised $100 million because VA officials claimed there was not enough time to distribute the monies, GAO said.
A copy of the GAOs testimony is here
http://veterans.house.gov/democratic/press/109th/pdf/9-28-06gao.pdfBottem line here's the cost of not being funded 196,000 homeless veterans
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