Denham Veterans Bill Passes Committee With Unanimous Support
Press Release
U.S. Representative Jeff Denham's (R-Turlock) VA COST SAVINGS Enhancements Act, H.R. 5974, passed the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs yesterday with unanimous support. The bill, introduced in May alongside Reps. Ann Kuster (D- NH-2), Mike Bost (R-IL-12), and Charlie Crist (D-FL-13), requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement operational changes to save the department millions of dollars each year and improve care for our veterans.
"My bill will improve care and increases safety in VA facilities across the country," said Rep. Denham. "With this common sense change, the VA can redirect valuable resources to improve care for those who have worn the cloth of our nation."
"We should always seek to streamline VA's day-to-day operations because it ensures veterans see more resources devoted to improving their quality of life and care," said Rep. Kuster. "The bipartisan VA COST SAVINGS Enhancement Act would require the VA to safely dispose of medical waste at their medical centers rather than use expensive, off-site contractors. Efficient use of VA dollars is critical to improving care for our veterans in New Hampshire and across the country."
The VA COST SAVINGS Enhancements Act requires the VA to install on-site medical waste treatment systems in all facilities, if it will result in a cost-savings. On-site sterilization machines compact medical "red bag" waste and destroy microbial life, rendering hazardous bio-waste safe. Otherwise, this infectious waste is loaded into trucks and driven to regional disposal centers -- a process that is dangerous, costly, and inefficient. System wide, this bill will save the VA millions of dollars each year and improve care for our veterans.
This technology improves crisis-readiness and is safer, more efficient, more cost-effective and more environmentally friendly than traditional medical waste disposal. Implementing this technology will align the VA with Centers for Disease Control best practices for infection control, and VA hospitals will no longer need to truck millions of pounds of hazardous waste to far-away disposal centers.
Editor's Note: A full copy of the bill text is available here.
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