Today, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02), Ranking Member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, welcomed the inclusion of critical funding priorities that will benefit veterans in New Hampshire and across the country. The bill passed today includes a $7 billion increase, which provides a substantial investment of $330 million for VA’s efforts to address the opioid epidemic impacting veterans. The bill also includes $2 billion for infrastructure improvements at VA facilities and $782 million to advance electronic health record interoperability between the VA and the Department of Defense.

“Supporting the men and women who have served our nation in uniform is one of my top priorities in Congress," said Kuster. "The funding we passed in the House today includes an important set-aside to combat the opioid epidemic within the VA, and is crucial for helping veterans who face challenges with chronic pain and substance misuse. I also welcome additional funding for facility upgrades which are sorely needed across the VA. However, the VA has not adequately prioritized improvements for the Manchester VAMC, and I will continue to demand the VA focus on new and improved facilities for veterans who receive care at Manchester. Finally this bill takes a major step in funding interoperability between the VA and DoD electronic health records that will have major benefits for veterans transitioning from active duty.”