National Alliance on Mental Illness
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War Supplemental Bill Adds $100 Million for VA Mental Health Services
May 29, 2007
Late last week Congress sent to the President the FY 2007 Supplemental War Spending bill, known as the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act (HR 2206) that includes $466.8 million in additional funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs for the current fiscal year. President Bush signed the legislation on May 26.
Within this $466.8 million allocation for the VA, Congress directed that $100 million be set aside for enhancements to mental health services. In addition, the legislation allocated the following for the VA in the current fiscal year:
- $228,982,000 for treatment of OEF and OIF veterans.
- $30,000,000 for at least one new Level I comprehensive polytrauma center;
- $9,440,000 for the establishment of polytrauma residential transitional rehabilitation programs;
- $10,000,000 for additional transition caseworkers;
- $20,000,000 for substance abuse treatment programs;
- $20,000,000 for readjustment counseling;
- $8,000,000 for polytrauma support clinic teams; and
- $5,356,000 for additional polytrauma points of contact.
NAMI is extremely grateful to leaders in Congress for this increase in funding for mental illness treatment in the VA system.
Update:
This bill was vetoed by the President and never became law.