Sen. Salazar Hails Historic Vets Legislation
Sen. Salazar Hails Historic Vets Legislation
United States Senator Ken Salazar announced today that two additional provisions benefiting veterans which he authored were passed by Congress in omnibus veterans' health care, benefits, and construction legislation late last week. One of the provisions introduced by Senator Salazar expands sight rehabilitation programs and the other will improve long-term care.
"Our nation's veterans deserve all the support we can provide them," said Salazar. "With an aging veterans' population, the VA must begin to address the coming tidal wave of elderly veterans. We asked them to defend this nation when they were young; we owe it to them to care for them now."
The first provision would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to publish a strategic plan for the long-term care of our nation's aging veterans' population. Senator Salazar's legislation would ensure that the VA begins to address this looming challenge by asking the department to develop strategies and policies for:
* The delivery of care in domiciliaries, residential treatment facilities, and nursing homes, and for seriously mentally ill veterans;
* Maximizing the use of State Veterans Homes (there are 6 in CO);
* Addressing the spectrum of non-institutional long-term care options; and
* Working with Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance companies to expand care.
The VA is already struggling to meet its current obligations, and the number of veterans in America who are 85 and older is expected to increase from approximately 870,000 to 1.3 million over the next ten years. Currently, Colorado has 135,000 veterans over the age of 65 but only 100 beds in two VA nursing homes - a 60-bed facility in Denver and a 40-bed facility in Pueblo, along with six state-run nursing homes around the state which were facing drastic funding cuts under the FY06 budget proposal by President Bush. Senator Salazar first introduced this proposal as S.1189 in June, 2005.
The second provision by Senator Salazar would require the VA to place Blind Rehabilitation Outpatient Specialists (BROS) at 35 medical centers within 30 months. There are approximately 135,000 blinded veterans in the U.S., including 35,000 who are already enrolled in the VA system.
"An aging veterans' population and additional injuries incurred in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom are adding to the rolls of blind veterans," added Senator Salazar. "This legislation will go a long way toward meeting the needs of blinded veterans in Colorado, and across the nation."
The VA operates 10 residential blind rehabilitation centers that are considered among the best in the world. However, these centers have had long waiting lists with as many as 1,500 blind veterans a year waiting for openings. There are 1,400 blinded veterans in Colorado - and more than 700 in the Denver area alone - but Colorado does not have a single Blind Rehabilitation Outpatient Specialist.
These two provisions join two other victories scored by Senator Salazar on behalf of Veterans: language authorizing the VA to spend $98 million to construct a state-of-the-art veterans' hospital on the Fitzsimons campus; and the creation of an Office of Rural Health within the Veterans' Health Administration, which will specifically focus on issues related to America's substantial veterans population living in rural communities. The full release on these provisions can be found by clicking here.
http://salazar.senate.gov/news/releases/061213vets.htm