(Updated July 24, 2006)
H.Con.Res. 347
Honoring the National Association of State Veterans Homes and the 119 State
Veterans Homes Providing Long-Term Care to Veterans that are Represented by that
Association for Their Contributions to the Health Care of Veterans and the
Health-Care System of the Nation
Floor Situation
The House is scheduled to consider H.Con.Res. 347 under suspension of the
rules, on Monday, July 24, 2006. The bill is debatable for 40 minutes, may not be
amended, and requires a two-thirds majority vote for passage.
Summary
H.Con.Res. 347 resolves that Congress honors the National Association
of State Veterans Homes and the 119 State veterans homes providing long-term
care to veterans that are represented by that association for their significant
contributions to the health care of veterans and to the health care system of
the Nation, commends the thousands of individuals who work in, or on behalf of,
State veterans homes for their contributions in caring for elderly and disabled
veterans, recognizes the importance of the partnership between the States and
the Department of Veterans Affairs in providing long-term care to veterans, and
affirms the support of Congress for continuation of the State homes program to
address the known and anticipated needs of the Nation's veterans for
institutional long-term care services.
Background
The National Association of
State Veterans Homes was established in 1954 by a group of administrators of
State veterans homes to represent the interests of those homes in a unified
voice before Congress and the Executive Branch. The National Association of
State Veterans Homes functions on an all-volunteer basis and focuses on
endeavors that improve the conditions of care furnished to veterans by State
veterans homes, elevate and monitor the qualifications for managers of such
homes, and provide continuing education standards for staff who provide care to
veterans in State veterans homes.
The National Association of State Veterans Homes has been and continues to be in
the forefront of developing and supporting new methods and models for providing
long-term care services to elderly veterans, such as hospice care, respite care,
Alzheimer's care, and adult day health care. State veterans homes, which provide
long-term care to thousands of veterans, were established initially in the
States of Connecticut, Kansas, Ohio, and Maine in 1868 to house, feed, and care
for thousands of homeless, wounded, and permanently scarred Union soldiers and
thus have been in existence since before the establishment of the Department of
Veterans Affairs, the earlier Veterans' Administration, and its predecessor
agencies.
In 1888 Congress authorized the Federal payment of a daily allowance of 20
percent for the care of each former soldier or sailor in a State home-hospital,
an allowance that continues today in the form of a per diem grant program
administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs that is authorized to provide
up to 50 percent of the average daily cost of care, but currently provides only
approximately 30 percent. The Department of Veterans Affairs further
participates in the care of veterans in State homes with a matching grant
program to support construction and major renovation projects to sustain those
homes and build towards sufficient levels of available, high-quality health
care. The State veterans homes offer long-term services to eligible veterans in
need of such services on certification of the Department of Veterans Affairs at
119 facilities in 47 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The States
determine the allocation of nursing home beds in individual facilities, and
establish the eligibility of veterans and their dependents to occupy those beds,
following Federal guidelines.
Within the limits of their capacities, the State veterans homes provide care for
over 27,500 veterans each day, accounting for more than 50 percent of the total
national long-term care bed capacity for veterans, thereby sharing the enormous
responsibility of caring for veterans with the Department of Veterans Affairs in
an admirable partnership. State veterans homes provide quality care for elderly
and disabled veterans at an average daily cost that is significantly less than
nursing homes operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The number of elderly veterans, particularly those over age 85, continues to
rise and the need for long-term care services for those veterans will continue
to rise in the coming years. The Nation's State veterans homes continue to
achieve their purpose of improving and sustaining the health of elderly, sick,
and severely disabled veterans by assuring access to affordable nursing care in
settings that provide personal dignity to truly deserving veterans, often at the
end of lives spent in service to the Nation
Legislative History
H.Con.Res. 347 was introduced by Rep.
Simmons (CT) on February 16, 2006. The bill was ordered to be reported from
the Veteran's Affairs Committee, by voice vote, on July 20, 2006.
For additional information or questions,
please contact the Veteran's Affairs
Committee at 5-3527.