House OK's 12% increase on veteran health benefits

WASHINGTON -- The US House of Representatives voted to increase spending on veterans' healthcare benefits by 12 percent the next fiscal year, one of the few government programs expected to see a double-digit increase.

The chamber voted, 396 to 0, for a broader spending bill that would boost program funding by $2.9 billion to $25.4 billion for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. That includes $600 million more for mental health programs to help soldiers cope with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The increase is partly because lawmakers last year did not provide enough money to cover the cost of caring for military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Congress was forced to make up the difference later in an emergency spending bill.

''It is a huge turnaround," said Representative Chet Edwards, a Democrat from Texas. ''The increase is significant, it is real and it's important."

The House voted to reject the Bush administration's proposal to impose $1.5 billion in new fees on higher-income veterans and some Defense Department retirees. Representative Jeb Hensarling, a Republican from Texas, used parliamentary maneuvers to strip 20 military construction projects totaling $507 million from the bill. He and other self-described conservatives contended the projects had been improperly designated as emergency spending in order to circumvent spending caps the chamber adopted.

The changes are part of a $136 billion spending bill for veterans affairs, military construction, and related programs. The bill will have to be reconciled with companion legislation in the Senate.

The House adopted a $2.8 trillion budget plan yesterday that lawmakers said would limit spending increases for most government agencies.