Disabled veterans are calling on Congress to make funding for their medical care mandatory.
Health care funding for America's veterans is not currently guaranteed, and David Gorman with the group Disabled American Veterans says federal politicians play games with it each year. He says the funding is used as a "political football" each year, which usually results in lengthy delays.
When that happens, Gorman says it puts a great deal of pressure on states to make up for funding shortfalls. Wisconsin has over 60,000 disabled veterans and spends over $1.2 billion a year on VA services. He says a lack of federal funding results in more of those veterans turning to state sponsored programs for the care they need.
The group is calling on Congress to set mandatory guidelines for when VA funding has to be established. Gorman says many other government programs already have such a mandate, and excluding disabled veterans only results in them being denied the care they need.
AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (MP3 1:09)
