Scalise Presents Veterans Health Care Bill At Hearing Today

RECOVER Act gains momentum as Veterans groups express support

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Washington, DC -- Congressman Steve Scalise testified at a House Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing today to present his bill, H.R. 1075, which will maintain vital health services to veterans following a disaster.

“In the aftermath of a disaster, the last thing our veterans and their families should have to worry about is where to seek basic health care,” Scalise said. “We learned valuable lessons after Hurricane Katrina, and I want to make certain that no veteran has to travel long distances or experience long wait times to receive basic care in the event that their local VA hospital is closed. It is our obligation to provide our veterans with the same honor and dedication that they provided us during their service. I will continue working hard to cut through red tape and expedite the rebuilding of the New Orleans VA Medical Center that was devastated and closed by Hurricane Katrina’s destruction.”

Scalise’s bill is supported by Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), who also testified in support of the bill.

Scalise’s legislation, the Restoring Essential Care for Our Veterans for Effective Recovery (RECOVER) Act, H.R. 1075 would require the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to contract with a non-VA hospital to provide healthcare services to veterans if the VA hospital is shut down following a disaster. Following this hearing, the Veterans Affairs Committee will have to agree to “mark-up” Scalise’s bill. His bill, if agreed to in Committee, would then go the entire House for a vote.

The RECOVER Act will do the following:

• If a VA Hospital closes due to a federally declared disaster (as declared by the President), and will be closed for at least six months (180 days), the VA shall seek out contracts with non-VA providers in the disaster area to provide care
• The care will be for veterans living within a 150 mile radius of the closed VA hospital
• Medical services include surgery, inpatient procedures and hospital stays. This is intended to prevent veterans from having to travel long distances to a VA facility and having to face long waits for scheduled surgeries
• Veterans in Southeast Louisiana who are normally eligible for VA care would be eligible for this option 
• Allows veterans to stay in the VA system if they choose

A copy of Congressman Scalise’s testimony follows here:

Opening Statement of Congressman Steve Scalise
House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
Subcommittee on Health
Hearing on H.R. 1075, the RECOVER Act
March 25, 2010

Thank you Chairman Michaud, Ranking Member Brown, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee.

I appreciate the opportunity to testify before your subcommittee on my bill, H.R. 1075.  This bi-partisan legislation, with nineteen cosponsors, seeks to maintain vital health services to veterans in the event that a VA hospital is closed due to a federally declared disaster.  Before I begin discussing my bill, I’d like to also thank you for your service on the Veterans’ Affairs committee, and for the work you do on behalf of our nation’s veterans.

The welfare of our veterans and their families is of great importance to me, and I first filed this legislation during the 110th Congress when I served as a Member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee.  Our nation is grateful for the courage our veterans have displayed and the sacrifices they have made in order to protect America and the freedom we enjoy today.  I believe, as you do, that it is our obligation to provide them the same honor and dedication that they provided us during their service.

Hurricane Katrina flooded and closed the New Orleans VA Medical Center, leaving our veterans without the full services of their medical home.  Unfortunately, nearly five years later, our VA hospital still remains closed.  As a result, veterans throughout Southeast Louisiana face increased challenges and hardship to obtain the quality healthcare they deserve.  The VA made a commitment to open a new hospital by late 2013, but with the current delays, I remain concerned about the status of veterans’ healthcare in the interim, and want to make sure this doesn’t happen to any of our nation’s veterans in the future.

That is why I introduced H.R. 1075, the RECOVER Act.  My bill would ensure that the VA must establish a contract with at least one non-VA facility to provide inpatient services in the event that a VA hospital will be closed for at least six months due to any federally declared disaster.  Nothing in this bill would prevent a veteran from seeking care within the VA system if he so chooses.  But last week, I spoke with a veteran who had to travel to another state for post operative care because the New Orleans hospital is still not open.  Veterans still have to travel more than 350 miles for cardiac surgery and also have to travel to other states for mental health care as well.  Several veterans with chronic conditions did not seek care after the storm because they did not know what their options were.  This concerns me very much, and my bill seeks to eliminate these hardships.  The RECOVER Act will also prevent families from having to travel hundreds of miles just to visit their loved ones who are undergoing treatment in the hospital.  As the respected group Disabled American Veterans said when they expressed their support for this Act, “Family support and care giving have been shown to accelerate recovery time and reduce cost and length of hospital stays.”  In the aftermath of a disaster, the last thing our veterans and their families should have to worry about is where to seek basic health care. 

I commend the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System for the initiative they have taken to provide care in light of the hospital’s closure.  The community outpatient clinics have been extremely valuable in delivering primary care and other services.  We learned valuable lessons after Hurricane Katrina, and I want to make certain that no veteran has to travel long distances or experience long wait times to receive basic care in the event that their local VA hospital is closed due to a natural disaster, whether it be a hurricane, a tornado, earthquake, or any other natural disaster. 

My office is working with the Veterans’ Service Organizations to address any issues they have as this bill moves through the legislative process.  Let me also emphasize that this in no way undermines our strong commitment to the VA health care system.  Our goals are the same: veterans and their families need to have options for receiving quality care close to home in the most convenient way possible, all while working to expedite the rebuilding of our VA hospital that was closed due to Hurricane Katrina.  I continue working hard to cut through red tape and expedite the rebuilding of the New Orleans Medical Center that was devastated and closed by Hurricane Katrina’s destruction.  I look forward to working with you and Members of the Committee as we move forward.

Again, I thank you for your dedication to our nation’s military veterans, and I appreciate this opportunity to testify before the subcommittee.

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Contact: Luke Bolar
202-226-4309