Date: 2009-06-23
Speaker: HERSETH SANDLIN (democrat)
Chamber: H

as the person who introduced the bill and we thank her for her steadfast commitment to helping women veterans. Mr. Speaker. we had a roundtable at our full committee. where we had representatives and women veterans from all around the country. It was searing testimony which revealed serious weaknesses in the culture of the VA. The VA health care system. after all. was built to accommodate the warrelated.illnesses and injuries of male veterans. The increased percentage of female veterans that has been occurring. especially with the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. has led many women veterans to say that we need some changes in the culture of the VA. Women Walk through the lobbies of VA hospitals and are given catcalls. There are not sufficient women doctors available for the women who want them. The male doctors dont yet seem to have the respect for the sacrifice of women veterans. There was one- woman who testified who had an amputation of one arm from combat. When she showed up at the doctors office. he just assumed that it was lost from something else like cancer. He didnt even think that this could be a combatrelated injury. And we can go on and on. but we need to change the culture and change the resources and change behavior. and thats what this bill by Ms. HERSETH SANDLIN starts to do. There are about 1.8 million women veterans today. or 7 percent of the nearly 24 million veterans that we serve- Assuming that the current enrollments remain the same. the number of female veterans who use the VA system will double in the next 5 years. making female veterans one of the fastest growing subgroups of veterans. In this environment of organizational transformation and changing demographics. H.R. 1211 has the potential to lay the foundation for improved health care services for our women veterans. I urge my colleagues to support the legislation. I reserve the balance of my time. Mr-. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 1211. as amended. a bill to amend title 38. United States Code. to expand and improve health care services available to women veterans from the Department of Veterans Affairs and for other pprposes. I appreciate the hard work of the gentlelady from South Dakota on this bill and in bringing it forward. Throughout history. women have played a vital rolein supporting our national defense. Currently women make up 8 percent. about 8 percent of the total veteran population. and VA estimates that by 2020. women veterans will comprise about 10 percent of the veteran population. Women are the fastestgrowing segment of the veteran population. and its essential to make sure that VA is providing specialized programs and services to meet their unique physical and mental health needs. I want to thank again my good friend and colleague. the gentlelady from South Dakoti. for introducing this legislation. and I am pleased to have joined with her as an original cosponsor for H.R. 1211. This legislation would expand and improve benefits and services for our female veterans. especially our newest generation of women veterans serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The VA would be required to conduct independent studies to look at the barriers women veterans face in obtaining VA health care. assist the services currently being provided. and develop a plan to better meet their needs. In the past 5 years. there has been a 30 percent increase in the number of women veterans of childbearing age enrolling in the VA health care system. H.R. 1211. as amended. would aid this population by authorizing VA to provide care to newborns -of women veterans receiving maternity care through VA. Additionally. the bill would establish a pilot program to provide child care assistance for certain qualified veterans while they are receiving care at the VA. Recognizing that the largest number of women veterans are serving in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. the bill would also ensure that recently separated women veterans have a voice on the advisory committee on women veterans and minority veterans. I urge my colleagues to support 1211. as amended. I reserve the balance of my time.