THURSDAY’S HEARING TO CONSIDER HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION FOR VETERANS

May 9, 2006
Media contact: Jeff Schrade (202) 224-9093

(Washington, DC) The U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs will a hold a hearing on Thursday, May 11, to review health care legislation that would impact the America’s veterans.

The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. Eastern in room 418 of the Russell Senate Office Building. It will be webcast live, and archived for viewing later, at http://veterans.senate.gov. The hearing may also be audiocast – during the hearing only – on C-SPAN’s hearings website, located at http://www.capitolhearings.org.

Witnesses:

Panel 1

• Dr. Michael Kussman, Deputy Under Secretary for Health, Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, D.C.

Panel II

• Robert Shaw, Legislative Chairman, National Association of State Veterans Homes, Rifle, Colorado
• John Melia, Executive Director, Wounded Warrior Project, Roanoke, Virginia
• Carl Blake, Associate Legislative Director, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Washington, D.C.
• Juan Lara, Assistant Director, National Legislative Commission, American Legion, Washington, D.C.
• Adrian Atizado, Assistant Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans, Washington, D.C.

The bills to be considered:

S. 2634 (Sponsor - Sen. Larry Craig): A bill to repeal the term limits for the positions of Under Secretary for Health and Under Secretary for Benefits and to repeal the search commission requirements for both positions under current law.

S. 2736 (Sponsor - Sen. Larry Craig): A bill to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish not less than five Amputation and Prosthetics Rehabilitation Centers in geographically dispersed areas of the country to coordinate care and provide special assistance to veterans who have suffered an amputation.

S. 2433 (Sponsor - Sen. Ken Salazar): A bill to establish an Assistant Secretary for Rural Veterans, conduct a pilot program for outreach and services to veterans who reside in highly rural or geographically remote areas of the country, increase travel reimbursements to veterans and establish not more than five rural health and education clinical centers at geographically dispersed facilities across the country.

S. 1537 (Sponsor - Sen. Daniel Akaka): A bill to provide for the establishment of Parkinson’s Disease, Research, and Education Clinical Centers in the Veterans Health Administration and Multiple Sclerosis Centers of Excellence.

S. 2762 (Sponsor - Sen. Daniel Akaka): A bill to increase payments to state homes for certain service-connected disabled veterans, allow VA to recognize beds as qualifying beds under the state home program, and require VA to report to Congress prior to taking certain actions with regard to state veterans homes.

S. 1731 (Sponsor - Sen. Tom Coburn): A bill to designate the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Muskogee, Oklahoma, as the Jack C. Montgomery Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

S. 2500 (Sponsor - Sen. Daniel Akaka): A bill to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to notify Congress and wait prior to making any scheduler changes to the Ratings Schedule for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder; provide mandatory counseling services to members of the Guard and Reserves returning from active duty; authorize $180 million for Readjustment Counseling Services.

S. 2753 (Sponsor - Sen. Daniel Akaka): A bill to require VA to make $10 million available as a grant program to expand the services available to veterans for non-institutional care and other care-giver assistance programs. 

Larry Scott