We can still impact the outcome of the Veterans Administration freeform bills moving through Congress. June 24, the House-Senate conference committee began deliberations on bills, H.R. 4810, and H.R. 3230 to resolve conflicts before the final vote. Senators and Representatives are at home June 28 – July 6. This is a good opportunity to contact them regarding current legislation designed to improve health care provided by the VA.
The House and Senate have appointed a Conference Committee to reconcile their bills on veterans’ health care. We suggest the following are key values that need to be represented in any bill sent out of this committee:
- Our most important concern is that Congress must protect and preserve the VA health care system and resist all efforts at privatization. The VA provides vital, life-saving services and makes major contributions to the quality of life of veterans injured while serving. Congress must ensure the remains capable of providing a full continuum of high-quality, timely health care to all enrolled veterans.
- Each veteran should be treated by the VA as quickly as medically indicated. In the medium term, this may require that some veterans are served by private sector providers at VA expense.
- It is vital that the VA must remain responsible for coordinating care and provide follow-up care.
- Funding of a contracting-out program must not interfere with building needed new capacity in the VA. We have created more than a 1.5 million new veterans in our wars of choice in Iraq and Afghanistan and of those, about 670,000 have been awarded disability status connected to their military service. Another 100,000 have their initial claims pending, according to a November VA analysis. * We must create a VA health care system large enough to serve them.
- Providing the health care veterans deserve need not add to the deficit. There is enough waste, fraud and bloat in the Pentagon budget to cover the cost.
Be sure to identify yourself as a member of Veterans For Peace.
(1) Members of House-Senate Conference Committee:
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ), Rep. Bill Flores (R-TX), Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), Rep. Corrine Brown (D-FL), Rep. Dan Benishek (R-MI), Rep. David Roe (R-TN), Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN), Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL), Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA), Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA), Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO), Rep. Mike Michaud (D-ME), Rep. Tim Walz (D-MN)
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sen. John D. Rockefeller (D-WV), Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK), Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Sen. Mike Johanns (R-NE), Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)
(2)Millions went to war in Iraq, Afghanistan, leaving many with lifelong scars http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/03/14/185880/millions-went-to-war-in-iraq-afghanistan.html