IV 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 918 

Expressing support for policies that maintain a robust Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs and do not jeopardize 

care for veterans by moving essential resources to the private sector. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 28, 2016 

Mr. TAKANO (for himself, Mr. ELLISON, and Mr. GRIJALVA) submitted the 

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for policies that maintain a robust Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs and do not jeopardize care for veterans 

by moving essential resources to the private sector. 

Whereas Congress has promoted policies to improve the 

health care capabilities of the Department of Veterans 

Affairs by providing significant increases in funds to hire 

staff, build more facilities, and improve training; 

Whereas nearly 9,000,000 veterans are enrolled in and depend on the health care system of the Department of 

Veterans Affairs for their care, and the Department completes nearly 101,000,000 outpatient appointments annually; 


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•HRES 918 IH 

Whereas the approximately 22,000,000 veterans of the 

United States are a diverse group of individuals including 

older veterans with diseases associated with aging and 

younger veterans with complex conditions related to improved battlefield medical care, and as a group contain 

a higher percentage of seriously wounded individuals 

needing complex lifelong physical and mental health care, 

which differs from the patient mix cared for by most 

community providers; 

Whereas the RAND Corporation examined a decade of research and found that VA provided care is equal to or 

better quality than private sector care in all forty-seven 

quality-of-care measurements it conducted as part of an 

independent assessment comparing VA outpatient care 

with comparable civilian facilities; 

Whereas the Department of Veterans Affairs is better 

equipped than most community providers to coordinate 

complex veteran care and provide continuity of resources 

for veterans; 

Whereas employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs 

are dedicated public servants, one-third of whom are veterans themselves; and 

Whereas according to a bipartisan survey by Lake Research 

and Chesapeake Beach Consulting 80 percent of veterans 

polled oppose turning health care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs into a system of private sector 

vouchers that may not adequately cover costs: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 


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•HRES 918 IH 

1 (1) supports policies that provide necessary re2 sources to serve veterans by maintaining a robust 

3 Veterans Health Administration; 

4 (2) opposes policies that would jeopardize care 

5 for veterans by moving essential resources away 

6 from the Veterans Health Administration and into 

7 the private sector; and 

8 (3) supports policies that would create inte9 grated health care networks for veterans with the 

10 Veterans Health Administration, serving as the coor11 dinator and primary provider of care, and selected 

12 high-quality community partners providing care 

13 when and where needed to ensure timely and con14 venient access for all enrolled veterans. 

Æ 


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