Report From Congress (January 15, 2007)
Report From Congress (January 15, 2007)
WICKER HIGHLIGHTS FUNDING FOR VETERANS CARE
Notes new leadership role on veterans' issues
One of the final acts of the Republican-led Congress in December was passage of legislation that reaffirms the nation's commitment to our veterans. President Bush signed the bill into law over the Christmas break. It expands health care benefits, provides new safeguards for personal records, and contains funds for construction at facilities damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
I was proud to support that measure, and I look forward to having a greater hand in strengthening veterans programs in this new Congress as the ranking Republican on the Military Construction/VA Appropriations Subcommittee. I recently assumed this leadership role, which oversees the wide-ranging functions under jurisdiction of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The panel also provides funds for military construction at facilities in Mississippi, across the nation, and around the world.
NEW COAST CONSTRUCTION
The new construction money in the veterans legislation includes work to restore the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in Biloxi and New Orleans. The Biloxi Center will get more than $300 million to upgrade its operations. The projects are among 22 VA facilities nationwide slated for new construction or renovation.
I am especially pleased that the bill directs creation of a VA office of rural health. The new office will be charged with conducting, promoting, and disseminating research into issues affecting rural veterans. It will develop and refine programs to improve care and services for rural veterans. Another initiative in the bill expands tele-health initiatives to offer more treatment options in rural areas.
RURAL VETERANS OUTREACH
The legislation provides additional rural health outreach by increasing VA reimbursement rates for state veterans nursing home patients and making medication free of charge for nursing home patients with service-connected disabilities of at least 50 percent. In efforts to increase veterans' access to long-term care, a pilot program will be launched to make non-VA facilities such as community hospitals eligible for state veterans' nursing home per diem payments. The move could help veterans in need of nursing care stay closer to loved ones at home.
The government experienced its largest security breach of personal information in history when a Washington, D.C, VA employee's laptop computer was stolen from his home. The incident put at risk the personal data of more than 25 million veterans and 2.2. million active duty military members. Fortunately, the computer was recovered with no apparent signs of tampering, but the theft exposed serious flaws in the Department's procedures.
Immediate oversight by Congress and a highly-critical VA inspector general report led to swift action to direct VA to centralize its technology and security systems. Provisions in this legislation provide additional safeguards to protect veterans and servicemembers from misuse of their vital information.
HELPING VET-OWNED BUSINESSES
Veterans advocates have raised concerns that many businesses owned by veterans or disabled veterans are not getting their fair share of contracts for goods and services with the VA. In response, the bill includes provisions to give the Department more tools to help expand those contracting opportunities.
http://www.house.gov/wicker/vetcare.htm