Veterans Affairs' IT budget to receive modest cuts

The 2011 Veterans Affairs Department budget making its way through the House is 6 percent higher than VA's 2010 budget, but includes modest cuts in requested funding for the Veterans Benefits Administration and claims processing, as well as a previously anticipated reductions in the department's information technology account.

The final 2011 House appropriations bill provides $2.137 billion for VBA, down $12 million from the requested $2.149 billion.

The House bill set the 2011 Veterans Affairs IT budget at $3.147 billion, 5.1 percent below the $3.307 billion the department requested. The reduction is in line with cuts made in a continuing resolution approved this February. The House Appropriations Committee said at the time that it cut $160 million from the IT budget request to reflect canceled programs.

The budget also reflects savings from the two-year federal pay freeze that President Obama ordered last December. The House bill cut $34 million from VA's medical support budget line and $15 million from the medical facilities budget, derived from the pay freeze, which went into effect in January.

Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said the 6 percent increase in the overall VA budget expected to pass the House later this week shows that even in tough fiscal conditions, "it is clear that funding for veterans remains a top priority."