VA '09 budget has $41.2B medical care

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WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. President George W. Bush, in his 2009 budget, pushed for implementation of Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors recommendations.

The VA budget, unveiled Tuesday, seeks $41.2 billion for medical care, which Bush said was more than double the amount the department received when Bush took office.

Picking up themes from his State of the Union address last week, Bush said the administration also would seek enactment of commission recommendations, including modernizing of disability compensation systems, expanding treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and strengthening support for families.

The bipartisan commission, headed by former Sen. Bob Dole and former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, examined the level of care soldiers received at the nation's veterans' hospitals after reports of substandard care surfaced.