On March 28, 2022, the President released his FY 2023 budget which provides robust funding for health care, benefits and national cemeteries including $139.1 billion in discretionary funding (an increase of $21.9 billion or 18.7%). Discretionary funding is funding that does not go to mandatory entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. There is $161.3 billion (an increase of $8.6 billion or 5.7%) in mandatory funding for 2022 benefit programs inclusive of Compensation and Pensions, Readjustment Benefits, Housing and Insurance. Veterans Affairs Secretary McDonough’s priorities include the following:
- Support VA medical care
- Improve Veterans’ mental health care services
- Prioritize Veteran suicide prevention
- Increase women Veterans’ health care
- Address environmental exposures
- Support cancer moonshot and precision oncology
- Invest in human infrastructure
To view Secretary McDonough’s statement on the President’s Budget and more background information, click here.