While there are plenty of discussions that surround the economy and federal spending of late, one of the most recent news items involves proposed significant cuts to defense spending. This would directly impact the military, including what the government spends on its men and women fighting for freedom and liberty, but would it also impact the benefits that are available through the VA (Veterans Administration), which could impact veterans home care.
The answer to this question is that it is too early to know for sure, because the president’s proposed budget would still need to be discussed in Congress, then voted on and, if passed, it would have to signed into law. There are many provisions of this budget bill that could become stripped down, eliminated, or altered in the course of negotiations, but when one considers that Congress has failed to pass a Constitutionally required budget since 2008, there’s little reason to think that this will become law.
But that doesn’t mean that President Obama and his administration won’t cut defense spending. So how would any cuts to defense impact the military men and women who serve out country, or who have served? To determine that, we need to look to history to find the answer.
During the 1990s, defense budgets were being slashed across the board, mostly in response to a lack of major threats to national security. The Soviet Union had collapsed and Al Qaeda wasn’t yet a common threat, even though they had been making waves within certain regions of the world. With no major military threat, there was no reason to keep spending on defense the way that this country had been accustomed to throughout the years.
As a result, many veterans benefits were also trimmed. For the most part, the cuts that were delivered to the VA were generally across the board and even across the country, and many of the men and women who served who required care discovered that it was becoming increasingly difficult to get the care that they needed.
Could this happen again? It is likely, but how it will impact specific programs, such as the VA Aid and Attendance Benefit won’t be clear until more specifics are brought forth by the administration. Veterans home care is an essential component of elderly care for men and women who served our country during a time of war. Any cuts could be devastating to these individuals and the program as a whole.
For more information and to learn about Veterans in home care, contact Veteran’s Home Care at (888) 314-6075.
