Southern Arizona Veteran, Health and Education projects to benefit from Appropriations conference report

Washington, DC — Today Rep. Grijalva voted in support of the conference report on H.R. 3043, FY 2008 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill which also includes the Military Construction VA Appropriations bill. The bill passed the house 269-142.

This bill invests in the top domestic priorities for our country. It provides the largest increase for veterans in history, rejects the President’s cuts to needed resources for health care, education, job training, and home heating assistance, and makes critical investments in our future.

“I am proud that this Congress is taking strong steps to reverse past patterns and is prioritizing our domestic needs,” stated Rep. Grijalva. “Veterans, children, seniors, and working families will receive their due investment.”

The bill provides the largest increase for veterans’ health care in history to strengthen quality care for 5.8 million patients increases the number of claims processors so as to reduce the backlog of veterans waiting for their benefits and invests in VA health care facilities for the treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury for returning veterans.

Furthermore, the bill improves the health in our community by increasing the funding and services provided through community health centers and increases life-saving medical research grants. It invests in the training of teachers, provides extra help for math and reading, increases the maximum Pell Grant to $4,925 and strengthens jobs skills and employment of 173,000 more adults, youth, and dislocated workers.

Representative Grijalva worked to include several project requests for his district, which are as follows:

• $125,000 to expand the Tohono O’Odham Nation Diabetes and Dialysis Clinic.
• $270,000 for the Interdisciplinary Diabetes Prevention and Management Consortium, of which the University of Arizona is a partner.
• $500,000 for the National Hispanic Medical Association for the development of an online portal where medical information would be available in English and Spanish for doctors, nurses, public health educators and consumers.
• $350,000 for the University of Arizona Pilot project that will assist in the reintegration and education of disabled veterans returning from the Middle East.
• $125,000 for the Tohono O’Odham Community college to purchase necessary equipment.
• $425,000 for the University Medical Center Trauma Center Expansion/Replacement to enhance the capacity of the Emergency Department to serve Tucson’s needs.