Congressman Evans comments RE: VA Health Care Crisis

[Gimpy]

Press Release From
Congressman Lane Evans
Ranking Democratic Member
Committee On Veterans Affair
U.S. House of Representatives
August 9, 2002

VETERANS HEALTH CARE "BUSH" WHACKED, EVANS SAYS

VA BLAMES BUDGET WOES FOR ITS DECISION TO STOP MARKETING VA HEALTH
CARE TO VETERANS

Washington, DC - Congressman Lane Evans today described veterans'
medical care "a disaster President Bush failed to prevent". Evans
laid the blame for the Department of Veterans Affairs' recent guidance
to its field officials to cease marketing activities on the doorstep
of the White House.

Evans said he believes the President has not honored the promises he
has made to veterans. Evans noted that last summer at the Veterans of
Foreign Wars 2001 annual convention, Bush told veterans:

***
"My administration understands America's obligations not only go to
those who wear the uniform today, but to those who wore the uniform in
the
past: to our veterans. And at times, those obligations have not been
met. Veterans in need of care have been kept waiting, and thousands
of veterans' claims have been delayed, or in some cases lost in the
bureaucracy.

Many veterans have observed that the government seemed to work a lot
more efficiently when it wanted something from them. When the Draft
Board got your file, it worked efficiently. But now, when you need
health care, forms get lost and answers come late. That is no way to
treat America's veterans, and that is going to change."***


"Unfortunately", Evans lamented, "access to VA's medical care and
services to veterans has worsened since the President pledged last
year to honor veterans with timely services. This is no way to treat
our Nation's heroes," Evans declared.

Evans, who served in the Marine Corps during Vietnam and is the senior
Democratic member of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, said
that the President had an opportunity to provide additional funding to
VA by designating $5 billion appropriated by Congress as emergency
spending. In correspondence with Bush dated July 26, 2002, Evans urged
the President to sign legislation making supplemental appropriations
and to designate, as emergency spending, the full amount of emergency
spending appropriated by Congress. "This appropriation included $275
million in additional funding for veterans medical care. VA will have
to sacrifice this additional funding if the President does not
designate the full $5 billion appropriated by Congress as emergency
spending," said Evans.

Evans has actively worked to secure large increases in the VA medical
care budget advocating a $2.8 billion increase in spending for the
next fiscal year. He has also supported new legislation introduced by
the Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee, Christopher H. Smith
(R-NJ) that would transfer VA medical care spending to a mandatory
funding source. "It's clear most of VA's problems are directly
related to inadequate and unpredictable funding," said Evans.

VA official, Laura J. Miller, has advised VA field directors that
funding shortfalls are to blame for her recent decision to eliminate
marketing activities. "[A]ctuarial projections indicate a widening
gap in the demand versus resource availability." In addition,
Miller's memo predicts an equally bleak future under the Bush
Administration, "[G]rowth in enrollments and consequent demand is
expected to continue. Against this backdrop is very conservative OMB
budget guidance for 2004."

Earlier this summer, Evans demanded that VA survey its networks to
identify problems in enrolling veterans for primary care or in
scheduling them for follow up care. VA found that more than 300,000
veterans were either waiting for primary care or had waited longer
than
six months for follow up treatment. Miller's memorandum also
references the waiting time problem, "The outcome of this situation is
a waiting list for patients to be seen in many clinics across the
country and general waiting times that exceed VHA's standard of 30
days."

Evans stated that inadequate Bush Administration funding left VA with
little choice regarding recruitment efforts. "You can't keep
enrolling veterans into a health care system that cannot respond to
their needs-that simply sets up expectations that VA will fail to
meet. Veterans deserve timely access to services-not empty promises."

Evans also added that it was imperative that VA ensured that its
recent guidance on curtailing recruitment activities did not apply to
special services aimed VA's highest priority veterans-those with
conditions related to their military service or medically indigent
veterans.

"VA must continue to promote outreach activities to meet the needs of
its "core" users, such as homeless veterans, mentally ill veterans,
including those with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder,
and veterans with serious physical disabilities. I will closely
monitor VA's activities to ensure its recruitment efforts aimed at
these populations continue," said Evans.

***END***

[Andy]

I'll break rank with the majority on this one. That Dem. you mentioned is right on. Course what can you expect with an N.G. in charge?
Did you ever wonder how things might be if Kerrey, the senator from Neb. or wherever (not the one from Mass.) would be if he got to be president. A grunt-type person with one leg just might look at the world a little different.
By the way, I don't think Sgt. Rock, AKA Al Gore would be doing much better that GW.
Please let us know any updates on this. I was told GW was going to sign the 5B Bill.

Stay healthy,
Andy
PS: Gimp I really hope you have all your meds mailed to your house now. Those lines are a mother.