Veterans Emergency Treatment Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of H.R. 3216, the Veterans Emergency Treatment--or VET--Act.

It should be common sense, if a veteran is in need of medical attention and arrives on the grounds of a Department of Veterans Affairs medical facility, that veteran would be seen, assessed, and treated immediately. However, recently, a veteran who experienced a medical emergency in Washington State traveled as far as the parking lot of his local VA emergency room before finding he could go no further, and he called the VA and asked for help in making it through the doors. He was told by the VA staff who answered his call that he should hang up and dial 911.

To hear the VA staff express an unwillingness or an apprehension about assisting a veteran in the midst of his having a medical emergency in its own parking lot is not only unacceptable, it is emblematic of how much the VA has lost its way.

H.R. 3216 would require the VA to determine whether a medical emergency exists among any enrolled veteran who presents at a VA facility and would prohibit the VA from transferring a medically unstable veteran unless the veteran submits a written request to be transferred or it finds that it is clinically unnecessary. It would also prohibit the VA from taking an adverse action against any employee who refuses to authorize a transfer or who prevents the VA from delaying needed care by inquiring about payment method or insurance status. This legislation would help ensure that, in the case of a medical emergency, a veteran's health remains the number one priority, which is where it should always belong.

This bill is sponsored by my friend and colleague, Congressman Dan Newhouse from Washington State. I am grateful to him for sponsoring this measure, and I urge all of my colleagues to join me in support of it.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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