White House Proposes Funding Increase to Reduce Veterans Medical Malpractice

Washington, DCWhile healthcare continues to divide politicians across party lines, there is one issue on which the Obama administration is facing little opposition - reducing incidences of veteran's medical malpractice.

span itemprop="image" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject" style="display:block">Over the past year, the Department of Veterans Affairs has faced a backlog of roughly one million benefits claims from veterans of past and current wars. The department is predicting a 24 percent increase in claims by 2012 and a three percent increase among patients seeking care at VA hospitals.

With the aging population of Vietnam vets, and up to 20 percent of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan seeking treatment for traumatic brain injuries or post traumatic stress disorder, resources are spread thin and the quality of care is expected to suffer at VA hospitals.

A rise in malpractice claims recently prompted VA to perform a study that found that only 43 percent of VA hospitals complied with established sterilization guidelines.

The President has proposed increasing the budget of the VA to $125 billion in 2011, despite continued cuts to federal programs. The administration is also calling for an 8.5 percent increase in the funding of medical care accounts and a 27 percent hike in funding for benefits, according to the VA.