The House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved an amendment by U.S. Rep. David Price, a Democrat from Chapel Hill, that adds $15 million for Veterans Affairs research on traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, prosthetics and other veterans’ health needs.
“This additional funding will help ensure that current veterans have access to the highest quality of care and could allow for medical innovation that will benefit future generations of veterans and civilians,” Price said in a statement.
His amendment was attached to the fiscal year 2016 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs funding bill. The committee passed the measure on Wednesday on a voice vote on Wednesday with support from Republicans and Democrats. It will go to the full House of Representatives for a vote there later.
The funding bill provides $76.6 billion in discretionary funding, an increase of $4.6 billion above the current fiscal year’s level.
The VA portion is a 5.6 percent increase over the previous year. It includes increases for health care, benefit claims processing, the Board of Veterans Appeals, medical and prosthetic research and information technology, the Appropriations Committee reported in a press release.
The military construction money includes spending on military housing and health facilities.