Caregivers And Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act Of 2009

Floor Speech

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Mr. TESTER. Thank you, Madam President, and I thank Chairman Akaka.

Madam President, I rise this morning to urge the Senate to pass the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2009. Chairman Akaka has done a great job of explaining the particulars of this bill. I thank him and Senator Burr for their leadership in our committee.

I could also echo Senator Akaka in explaining the reasons to vote for better health care for this county's veterans. But, instead, I am going to boil it down to one reason. Madam President, we promised it--we promised it--to all the men and women who served in our military. We promised it, just as we promised our troops the resources they need when they are in battle. This is not a vote about politics or partisanship; it is about living up to the pledge we made to all our veterans.

Montana is a rural State, which means that all 100,000 veterans there are rural veterans. Many of them live in frontier communities. Sadly, that means they have a tougher time getting the health care they have earned. Many of them still have to pay out-of-pocket travel expenses to get to a VA hospital for their health care. According to some studies, veterans who live in rural America do not live as long as veterans who live in urban places. That is not only sad, it is disgraceful, and it is unacceptable.

This bill contains provisions I included with the help of rural veterans and veterans service organizations in Montana. A vote for this bill is a vote to give veterans in rural America and frontier communities better access to health care. A vote for this bill will lock in an acceptable VA mileage reimbursement rate for disabled veterans who have long distances to travel to get to a VA hospital. A vote for this bill will authorize the VA to award grants to veterans service organizations that drive veterans to their medical appointments. In a place such as Montana, we would be in pretty tough shape without the dozens of volunteers who make that sort of thing happen. A vote for this bill will also improve health care in Indian country, and it will improve mental health care for rural veterans.

Last week, over Veterans Day, I had the honor of attending events across Montana. I had the opportunity to say thank you to our veterans, as we should do every day. A lot of veterans to whom I spoke last week made it clear--made it clear to me--we still have a lot of work to do to live up to the promises we have made to our fighting men and women.

This legislation is not the be-all and end-all, but it is a big step forward that is the result of putting politics aside and working together to do right by all of the men and women who have served our country.

Passing this legislation is living up to a promise. It is common sense. That is why I urge my colleagues to support it.

With that, Madam President, I yield the floor.

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