Other Issues - Veterans Affairs

VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System

The VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System (GLA) is a tertiary care facility that provides a broad range of health care services to veterans. As the largest of the VA's health care campuses, it is a part of the VA Desert Pacific Network, one of twenty-two Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISN) in the country. Founded in 1888 as the Pacific Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, it sits on 387 acres of land that were deeded by a family on the condition that the land be used for the benefit of veterans.

May 2006
Rep. Waxman sent a letter to the United States Army expressing serious concerns about the on-line auction real property exchange for the U.S. Army Reserve Center at 1250 Federal Avenue. The land was originally donated to the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldier and sits beside the West Los Angeles VA Campus.
Letter

March 2006
Rep. Waxman and Chairman Tom Davis of the House Government Reform Committee write to Secretary R. James Nicholson of the Department of Veterans Affairs requesting access to information that will be used by the Department and its contractors during the CARES process at the West Los Angeles facility.
Letter

October 2005
Rep. Waxman joined the California Senators and other members of the Los Angeles area Congressional delegation in writing to Secretary James Nicholson of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The members expressed their interest in the VA CARES Business Plan Studies and asked the Secretary to follow the six guiding principles adopted by the CARES Local Advisory Panel.
Letter

September 2005
Documents related to VA CARES business plan options
CARES map of West LA VA
Business plan study presentation
Public input presentation
Options presentation
CARES summary report
129-page report given to the Local Advisory Panel (the VA has indicated that the document is a draft document that may include factual and editorial errors and is provided at this time to assist in providing background information to the Local Advisory Committee members for their public meeting September 22, 2005.)
Rep. Waxman's statement submitted to the Local Advisory Panel's September 22 meeting
  
September 29, 2003
Rep. Waxman gave a statement to the CARES Commisssion in opposition to the creation of a Desert Pacific Healthcare Network Land Use Planning Committee to determine the reuse of so-called "excess land".
Statement

Other Veterans Issues

June 21, 2006
VA to Offer Free Credit Monitoring to Veterans Affected by Data Breach
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs has announced that the VA will provide one year of free credit monitoring to veterans whose sensitive personal information may have been compromised during the recent theft at an employee's home. People who believe they may be affected by the data breach can go to www.firstgov.gov for more information. The VA also continues to operate a call center at 1-800-FED INFO (1-800-333-4636).

June 27, 2005
Disabled Veterans Tax
Over 160 Democrats have cosponsored the New G.I. Bill of Rights for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 2131). This legislation would, on January 1, 2006, eliminate the Disabled Veterans Tax for all retired veterans with at least 20 years of service. Passage of H.R. 2131 would result in a rapid increase in benefits for hundreds of thousands of veterans.

June 27, 2005
Veterans Healthcare
President Bush's budget plan would have a dramatic impact on veterans. According to Bush Administration estimates, they will force over one million veterans, almost half of the Priority 7 and Priority 8 veterans, to drop out of the VA healthcare system. And veterans who remain in the VA healthcare system will be forced to pay hundreds of dollars annually in new costs.

October 12, 2004
Southern California Veterans Wait Months For Disability Benefits
A report released by Rep. Waxman finds that thousands of disabled veterans in Southern California wait months before receiving veteran’s disability benefits.

October 8, 2004
Waiting Times For Veterans's Disability Assessments
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is having severe problems providing injured veterans with benefits in a timely fashion. In October 2004, VA reported that over 300,000 veterans were currently waiting for disability assessments to determine if they would receive benefits for injuries they received in combat. Many of these veterans must wait months in order to obtain benefits. A new report investigates the long waits faced by disabled veterans.

April 15, 2003
Proposed Restrictions on Access to VA Health Care
In February 2003, President Bush released his proposed budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2004. The budget would halt enrollment in VA health care for many veterans, denying them access to any VA care. In addition, the budget would charge other veterans who are currently in the VA system a $250 annual enrollment fee and increase co-payments for doctor’s visits and prescription drugs. The budget narrowly passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on April 11, 2003, adopted these proposals. A series of Special Investigation Division reports analyze the local impact of these changes.