Date: 2003-11-21
Speaker: DENNIS MOORE (democrat)
Chamber: H

His bill has tremendous and broadbased support In this body. The provision requires VA to notify Congress in writing of actions proposed under the CARES initiative that would result In medical facility closures. significant staff realignments or medical facility consolidations and prohibits VA from taking these actions before 45 days following the notification or 30 days of continuous session of Congress. I plan to continue to look behind the CARES process to ensure that VA is making its decisions in the best interest of veteransnot the bottom line. In addition to honoring my friend. the late Jesse Brown. the former Secretary "for Veterans Affairs by naming the VA Medical Center (West Side Division) in Chicago for him. this final package will name the Prescott VA Medical Center for our Committees former Chairman. and my personal friend. the late Bob Stump. We honor two true veterans advocates with the passage of this bill. and I am pleased to be associated with it. Madam Speaker. I am pleased that we are finally able to authorize VA to provide health care to certain Filipino World War II veterans of the Philippines Commonwealth Army and former Philippines "New Scouts" who permanently reside In the United States. in the same manner as provided to U.S. veterans. I commend my colleague. Mr. FILNER. for his persistence In seeing this to fruition. Several years ago. my friend from California. MIKE THOMPSON. discovered that many veterans had participated in a series of dangerous tests to identify the militarys ability to detect and protect itself from biological and chemical attacks. His doggedness led the military to admit responsibility for conducting these tests which involved spraying American troops with agents that were. in some cases. extremely potent. The ranking member of the Health Subcommittee. CIRO RODRIGUEZ. saw an opportunity to do some justice for these veterans by giving them access to VA health care for any condition for two years. This will allow these veterans to seek care for conditions they believe may be related to their exposures. I am pleased to support this provision. This bill is laudable for improving services for elderly and mentally ill veterans. One provision allows VA authority to provide work skills training and development services. employment support services and job development and placement services as part of a more comprehensive rehabilitation package. This is likely to Improve the therapeutic outcomes for seriously mentally ill veterans. homeless veterans and veterans with substance use disordersthose who can truly benefit from handson job coaching services. It extends authority for VA to provide properties foreclosed under its home loan program to nonprofit homeless service providers. VA has made extensive use of this authority and nonprofits have provided many nights of care to homeless veterans as a result. The bill extend VAs authority to provide a range of noninstitutional extended care servIces and a mandate to provide medically necessary. institutional nursing care services to severely serviceconnected disabled veterans through December 31. 2008. It allows VA to extend and add a site to its important pilot program on assisted living for veterans. It provides earmarked funding for specialized mental health services for veterans in each of the next three fiscal years. It also continues the reports of two Important VA advisory groups who have made a series of solid recommendations to the Under Secretary for Health and the Congress about programs for seriously mentally ill veterans and veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder. Finally. this bill strives to make VA an employer of choice. We have reached one of those rare compromises that seem to offer something to everyone by creating a new appointment and promotion authority for certain clinical personnel. such as clinical psychologists. social workers. audiologists. kinesiologists. and others In the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). This authority will allow these employees to enjoy some of the same protections other Federal workers have. but will also provide VA with greater hiring and promotion flexibility. Some health care workers. mostly nursing assistants. will enjoy Saturday premium pay under this bill. It will allow VA to appoint employees of the Veterans Canteen Service taking Into consideration their time in service in that capacity. We have offered VHA the authority to hire chiropractors to enhance the types of health care services it routinely ofiers veterans. Madam Speaker. I am proud of the Committees work on this bill and encourage all of my colleagues to approve it.