John Gibson, Dan James, William Sapp, and Frankie Smiley Va Clinic

Floor Speech

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Ms. BROWNLEY. Mr. Speaker, I, too, support the renaming of the VA outpatient clinic in Hinesville, Georgia, after the four servicemembers who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country in Vietnam. Like a majority of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I will support this bill because it is the right thing to do.

This weekend, so many of us returned to our districts to honor the men and women who have served our Nation in uniform in theaters and eras from World War II to our veterans who served multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. We recognized every man and woman who has answered the call to duty because it is the right thing to do.

However, it is incumbent upon all of us in this Chamber to do more and to do better. Our words ring hollow if we don't do our part to fulfill our Nation's solemn promise to serve our veterans and their families as well as they have served our country. These words cannot only be spoken, but we must act upon them, live upon them.

While I believe it is important that we recognize John Gibson, Dan James, William Sapp, and Frankie Smiley, I ask myself how do we best serve the next generation of our Nation's veterans? How do we show them the respect that they have shown us? How do we let them age with as much dignity as they deserve and as much as possible?

Long-term care is one of the biggest challenges facing our aging population and their families. That is why I am calling on Speaker Johnson to bring before the House my bill, H.R. 542, the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act, for a vote. This bill, which has overwhelming bipartisan, bicameral support and passed out of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee unanimously almost 4 months ago, would be a fitting honor for the service and sacrifice of the Vietnam veterans advocating for this bill.

It would be the single largest expansion of long-term care services at VA in decades. It would impact nearly every veteran living with catastrophic disabilities or living with the effects of aging.

Currently, every veteran enrolled in VA has the right to nursing home care if clinically eligible, but it is important to note that nursing homes are not where veterans want to live their golden years. They want to be home. They want to be with their families. They want to be in their communities and with their communities. I doubt there is a person here today who has not grappled with how best to care for an aging or disabled loved one. Every veteran should have the right to dignity in their later years.

VA home- and community-based services enable veterans to do just that. However, these services are not available at all VA medical centers, and my bill changes that.

In addition to listening to what veterans want, home- and community- based services are also a far less expensive option for taxpayers and an investment in the elder care infrastructure this country so desperately needs. Even more important is, the health outcomes of those who are cared for at home are far, far better than the outcomes of those who receive care in an institution.

The chairman spoke about the Elizabeth Dole bill and said that CBO has scored it in a way that has caused him to have to revisit the bill. I don't know what he means because we got a CBO score. We had one CBO score that was astronomical. Then, finally, we won with CBO, and CBO went back and looked at the bill again and said, oh, no, it is just a very minimal cost. The beauty of this bill is the health outcomes of veterans are much better, it is less expensive than institutionalized care, and we can use that money to invest in other programs for our veterans.

As you all know too well, our healthcare system is facing a silver tsunami as the largest generation, baby boomers, enter their later years. VA is not exempt from this tsunami, and preparation is critical.

Almost half of VA's patient population is over 65. Without an aggressive expansion of home care, in the next 15 years, VA will have doubled its spending on institutional, long-term care services, nearing $15 billion, to meet these needs.

Without the option of receiving care at home, veterans will have to languish on wait lists or move to facilities far away from their families.

All this aside, the Elizabeth Dole act is the right thing to do right now. As both Chairman Bost and Ranking Member Takano have stated, this is the right time. The Elizabeth Dole act is the right bill for this Congress to pass and move forward.

It is too late for this bill to go to the President's desk before Veterans Day, as I had hoped, but we cannot delay any further. Our veterans, their caregivers, and their families cannot wait any longer. To further delay this bill is really absolutely cruel.

Let us work together. Let's work with Senator Elizabeth Dole to fulfill our promise to America's veterans. Let us act, and let us act now, Mr. Speaker.

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