Title: Expressing support for policies that maintain a robust, fully-funded and staffed Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs and do not jeopardize care for veterans by moving essential resources to the private sector.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Expresses support for policies that provide necessary resources to maintain a robust Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and create integrated veterans health care networks.
Expresses opposition to policies that would move resources from the VHA to the private sector.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1025 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1025

 Expressing support for policies that maintain a robust, fully-funded 
    and staffed 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

                             July 24, 2018

  Mr. Takano (for himself, Mr. Grijalva, and Mr. Pocan) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing support for policies that maintain a robust, fully-funded 
    and staffed 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 over 9,000,000 veterans are enrolled in and depend on the health care 
        system of the Department of Veterans Affairs for all or part of their 
        care;
Whereas the approximately 20,000,000 veterans of the United States are a diverse 
        group of individuals including older veterans with diseases associated 
        with aging and disabilities associated with past wars 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 greatly from the patient mix cared for by most non-VA 
        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 RAND Corporation's Ready to Serve national study found that 
        compared to non-VA mental health providers, VA mental health providers 
        were significantly more likely to deliver both culturally competent 
        care, which is important for engaging veterans and increasing access to 
        care, as well as evidenced-based care that yields clinically meaningful 
        and significant improvement of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and major 
        depression;
Whereas the Department of Veterans Affairs is better equipped than most non-VA 
        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;
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;
Whereas millions of dollars are being spent by organizations, which value 
        dismantling the Department of Veterans Affairs and outsourcing veteran 
        care over investing in the Department; and
Whereas funding has increased significantly for Choice and non-VA programs that 
        pay for the costs of providing veterans private health care at the same 
        time that the Administration is requesting less funding for medical 
        services at the Veterans Health Administration: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports policies that provide necessary resources to 
        serve veterans by maintaining a robust Veterans Health 
        Administration;
            (2) opposes policies that would jeopardize care for 
        veterans by moving essential resources away from the Veterans 
        Health Administration and into the private sector; and
            (3) supports policies that would create integrated health 
        care networks for veterans with the Veterans Health 
        Administration, serving as the coordinator and primary provider 
        of care, and selected high-quality non-VA partners providing 
        care when and where needed to ensure timely and convenient 
        access for all enrolled veterans.
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