Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2003

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1156, as amended, the Veterans Health Care, Capital Assets and Business Improvement Act of 2003.

This legislation draws the best from provisions offered in this body and the Senate. I have worked closely on the bill with the chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons). I want to thank him for his graciousness and the hard work. I would also like to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) and also the ranking member, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), for their assistance in finalizing this bill.

I am very pleased that the bill includes important provisions from H.R. 2433, as amended, a bill I introduced with the support of the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons). I also appreciate the persistence of the gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson), who will be speaking, in ensuring that these tests were brought to light in the items that we would be bringing before in this piece of legislation.

This bill will take important steps to remedy the serious wrong done to some of our veterans during the Cold War era. The military conducted a series of about 50 tests over almost a decade to determine the effects of the number of biological and chemical exposures to military operations and whether such exposures could be adequately protected. Many of these veterans participated without their knowledge, and too often veterans who participated in these tests were not properly protected from exposure to the number of stimulants as well as, occasionally, live agents. These agents included sarin and VX nerve gas, as well as biological war agents including Q fever and rabbit fever.

The military has now completed a number of investigations into the operations of the Deseret Test Center and concluded that as many as 6,000 veterans may have been involved. Veteran participation is unacceptable, and we recognize this, and we are concerned; and we want to assure them that if they are suffering lasting health consequence that we will do something about this.

I am very pleased that this legislation does something about that. This bill provides high-priority eligibility for the next 2 years to allow them to seek and receive VA treatment for the health problems including those that may be related to the problems, especially to the exposure of these hazardous agents.

This authority will allow them, and it will not adequately compensate them for what they have gone through, but we are at least beginning to try to correct the situation that we find ourselves in. Allowing them to have their health care concerns addressed may begin to give them the peace of mind this Nation owes them.

I am also pleased the final bill includes many provisions on the bill H.R. 1720, as amended. Madam Speaker, this bill authorizes many worthy construction projects to which the VA has given high priority. Unfortunately, the VA major medical construction has suffered for years as Congress has waited for the results of the CARES program, which is Capital Assets Realignment for Enhanced Services. I hope now that VA is about to approve a final plan, Congress will see fit to provide the appropriations VA requires to invest in its outdated infrastructure that we know is lacking. So we are hoping that we can do more as the report comes out.

A provision in our bill is designed to assure Congress that we are also adequately informed of some less positive developments that may result from this process, facility closures, staff realignments, as well as consolidations that may affect many veterans.

I am also pleased that this bill would give us both the assurance of this notification and the time to respond to these developments. Regardless of its outcome, CARES gave us at least one thing of value and that is the information that it has provided us. Last fall, the VA came forward with data that confirmed the ongoing concerns. I, along with my good friend, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz), have talked about the veterans of south

Texas. I know the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz) will be speaking today. They suffered long, miserable journeys, up to 6 hours one way, to receive hospital care and some specialized services. And I do not think that anyone knew many of our veterans had the worst access to acute hospital care in the Nation like in south Texas.

I am pleased this bill will require the VA to report to us on the steps it intends to take to resolve this long-lasting problem in south Texas.

This bill will also provide new benefits to former prisoners of war. Under the current law, neither Jessica Lynch nor her comrades who suffered internment in Iraq would be eligible to receive outpatient dental care from the VA. Why? Because they were in captivity for fewer than 90 days. Veterans who have experienced the trauma associated with being prisoners of war deserve dental care regardless of the time of the captivity.

This bill will also do away with these veterans medication co- payments. Surely we can all agree that these veterans have paid enough. This bill will extend and enhance long-term care and mental health programs. The VA continues to study how it will provide care in the future. Congress must remain vigilant about the programs that are needed by some of the most vulnerable veterans in the system.

I am pleased we have continued to support two internal watchdogs to monitor and report to Congress on the methods of improving mental health programs within the VA for the seriously mentally ill and for victims of post-traumatic stress disorder.

With troops who have seen the consequences of combat still in the field, we need the VA permanent programs to be available to both men and women who have trouble readjusting to civilian life.

Madam Speaker, there are numerous additional provisions in the bill that will allow the VA to provide better care to our veterans. I would like to thank the committee leadership and the staff for their hard work on this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1156, as amended, the Veterans Health Care, Capital Asset And Business Improvement Act of 2003. The bill draws the best from provisions offered in this body and in the Senate. I have worked closely on this bill with the Chairman of the Health Subcommittee, Mr. Simmons. I would also like to thank Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Evans for their assistance in finalizing this bill.

I am most pleased that the bill includes important provisions from H.R. 2433, as amended, a bill I introduced with the support of my Chairman, Mr. Simmons. I also appreciate the persistence of the gentleman from California, Mike Thompson in ensuring that these tests were brought to light. This bill will take important steps to remedy a serious wrong done to some veterans during the Cold War era. The military conducted a series of about 50 tests over almost a decade to determine the effect of a number of biological and chemical exposures on military operations and whether such exposures could be adequately detected. Too often veterans who participated, sometimes unwittingly, in these tests were not properly protected from exposures to a number of stimulants and, occasionally, live agents. These agents included Sarin and VX nerve gas as well as biological war agents including Q fever and rabbit fever.

The military has now completed a number of investigations into the operations of the Deseret Test Center and concluded that as many as 6000 veterans may have been involved. Veteran participants are understandably concerned and want assurances that they are not suffering lasting health consequences related to these tests. This bill provides high-priority health care eligibility to these veterans for the next two years to allow them to seek and receive VA treatment for any health problems, including those they believe may be related to exposures to these hazardous agents. This authority will never adequately compensate veterans for their participation in dangerous tests, but allowing them to have their health care concerns addressed may begin to give them the peace-of-mind the nation owes them.

I am also pleased that the final bill includes many of the provisions from H.R. 1720, as amended. Madam Speaker, this bill authorizes many worthy construction projects to which VA has given high priority. Unfortunately, VA's major medical construction has languished for years as Congress has waited for the results of the Capital Assets Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) study. I hope now that VA is about to approve a final plan, Congress will see fit to provide the appropriations VA requires to invest in its outdated infrastructure. If so, this will be a positive outcome of CARES. A provision of our bill is designed to ensure Congress that we are also adequately informed of some less positive developments that may result from this process-- facility closures, staff reassignments and consolidations that may affect many veterans. I am pleased that this bill will give us both the assurance of this notification and the time to respond to these developments.

Regardless of its outcomes, CARES gave us at least one thing of value--information. Last fall, VA came forward with data that confirm ongoing concerns I, along with my good friend Solomon Ortiz, have had about the veterans of South Texas. We knew they often suffered long, miserable journeys--up to 6 hours one way--to receive hospital care and some specialized services, but I don't think anyone knew many of our veterans had the worst access to acute hospital care in the nation! I am pleased this bill will require VA to report to us on steps it intends to take to resolve this longstanding problem.

This bill will provide new benefits to former prisoners-of-war. Under current law, neither Jessica Lynch nor her comrades who suffered internment in Iraq would be eligible to receive outpatient dental care from the VA. Why? Because they were in captivity for fewer than 90 days. While this limitation on eligibility was based on a rationale, it now seems capricious. Veterans who have experienced the trauma associated with being a prisoner of war deserve dental care regardless of their time in captivity. This bill will also do away with these veterans' medication copayments. Surely we can all agree that these veterans have paid enough.

This bill will extend and enhance long-term care and mental health problems. As VA continues to study how it will provide health care in the future Congress must remain vigilant about these programs that consume many resources but are needed by some of the most vulnerable veterans in the system. I am pleased we will also require two internal watchdogs that have made solid recommendations for improving mental health programs to continue to report to Congress on the VA's services for the seriously mentally ill and for veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. With troops who have seen the consequences of combat still in the field we will need VA's pre-eminent programs to be available to the men and women who have trouble readjusting to civilian life.

Madam Speaker, there are a number of additional provisions in this bill that will allow VA to provide better care to our veterans. I thank the Committee leadership and the staff for their hard work on the bill and want to commend it to all of my colleagues.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), the ranking Democrat.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Berkley), a member of the committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson), who has been in the forefront of the issue of Project SHAD and Project 112.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz), whom we consider our dean, who is also responsible for some of this legislation.

(Mr. ORTIZ asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, let me take this opportunity, first of all, to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Chairman Smith) and the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Simmons) for their hard work on this particular bill.

I also want to take time to also recognize our leading Democrat, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), for his hard work on this specific bill. I also want to take this opportunity to thank all the Members who participated to make this happen, such as the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson), as well as those on the Republican side.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise to support the Veterans Health Care, Capital Asset and Business Improvement Act of 2003. I want to start out by thanking the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) again for his willingness to work closely with me and the Democratic members of the committee to develop this as a final package. Credit goes to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons) and the ranking member, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez), for moving these measures to the floor today.

The bill anticipates the final approval of the CARES plan, identifying Congress's priorities requiring notification of major initiatives that come before the plan. I will continue to work behind the curtain and in front of the public to get this legislation passed.

The bill memorializes two great friends of mine: Bob Stump, who was an advocate for veterans throughout his career. We truly miss him not being on the committee anymore. He was a great American, and we salute his courage in standing up for what he believed in. Also, Jesse Brown, a veterans advocate as well, the former Secretary of Veterans Affairs for veterans. And we recognize these contributions of these two veterans with the passage of this bill.

This is a laudable effort for improving services for elderly and mentally-ill veterans. It strives to make VA the first choice. I am proud of the committee's work.

Madam Speaker, I rise to support the Veterans Health Care, Capital Asset and Business Improvement Act of 2003. I want to thank Chairman Smith for his ongoing commitment to veterans and his willingness to work closely with us on the development of this final package.

There are many important provisions in this bill. I appreciate the good bipartisan work of Chairman Simmons and Ranking Member Rodriguez in shepherding these measures from the Health Subcommittee to our consideration of a final conference package on the floor today.

This bill anticipates the final approval of the National Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) Plan. This Plan may set the framework for the first significant investment in the VA medical care system's infrastructure in several years. We are now way behind in making the needed investments--some estimate that the deficit is as high as $6 billion in delayed VA projects. VA's Phase I Study in VISN 12 has offered interested parties a view to the future under a CARES- like process. I had to look no further than upstate Illinois to see how the administration might handle the hundreds of new proposals it has on tap if most of the recommendations in the Draft CARES Plan are adopted.

The answers I received about the plan for VISN 12 were unsettling. This is particularly true since this Phase I study is the prototype for the larger National plan. VA planned to close one of the divisions of VA Chicago without sure funding for a modern new bed tower at the other division. This replacement facility was, in my view and many others, the linchpin to a successful integration. There are still no plans to develop the on-site multispecialty outpatient clinic veterans were promised.

This spring I introduced H.R. 2349 which authorized funds to construct the new bed tower at the West Side division of VA in Chicago. It also attempted to hold VA's feet to the fire to fund and build the new bed tower by prohibiting VA from disposing of the closed facility until it began construction on its replacement. Instead of the restrictions I put on VA in my bill, I have agreed to establish priorities for spending appropriations designated for CARES projects. This conference package gives the highest priority to facilities, such as West Side, that are needed to replace capacity at facilities that CARES will recommend closing, consolidating or converting in some fashion. It also gives high priorities to projects that remedy life safety and seismic deficiencies.

My bill contained additional projects that are worthy of our appropriators' consideration. It authorizes $48,600,000 for the correction of seismic deficiencies in San Diego, California, and $50,000,000 for medical care and research renovations in West Haven, Connecticut. My bill included lease authority for Las Vegas. We have since learned that VA's needs there may be evolving and settled on appropriating advance planning funds in the amount of $25,000,000 for a major medical facility project there.

The bill also adopts language inspired by a provision introduced by my friend from Kansas, Dennis Moore. His bill has tremendous and broad- based support in this body. The provision requires VA to notify Congress in writing of actions proposed under the CARES initiative that would result in medical facility closures, significant staff realignments or medical facility consolidations and prohibits VA from taking these actions before 45 days following the notification or 30 days of continuous session of Congress.

I plan to continue to look behind the CARES process to ensure that VA is making its decisions in the best interest of veterans--not the bottom line.

In addition to honoring my friend, the late Jesse Brown, the former Secretary ``for'' Veterans Affairs by naming the VA Medical Center (West Side Division) in Chicago for him, this final package will name the Prescott VA Medical Center for our Committee's former Chairman, and my personal friend, the late Bob Stump. We honor two true veterans' advocates with the passage of this bill, and I am pleased to be associated with it.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased that we are finally able to authorize VA to provide health care to certain Filipino World War II veterans of the Philippines Commonwealth Army and former Philippines ``New Scouts'' who permanently reside in the United States, in the same manner as provided to U.S. veterans. I commend my colleague, Mr. Filner, for his persistence in seeing this to fruition.

Several years ago, my friend from California, Mike Thompson, discovered that many veterans had participated in a series of dangerous tests to identify the military's ability to detect and protect itself from biological and chemical attacks. His doggedness led the military to admit responsibility for conducting these tests which involved spraying American troops with agents that were, in some cases, extremely potent. The ranking member of the Health Subcommittee, Ciro Rodriguez, saw an opportunity to do some justice for these veterans by giving them access to VA health care for any condition for two years. This will allow these veterans to seek care for conditions they believe may be related to their exposures. I am pleased to support this provision.

This bill is laudable for improving services for elderly and mentally ill veterans. One provision allows VA authority to provide work skills training and development services, employment support services and job development and placement services as part of a more comprehensive rehabilitation package. This is likely to improve the therapeutic outcomes for seriously mentally ill veterans, homeless veterans and veterans with substance use disorders--those who can truly benefit from hands-on job coaching services. It extends authority for VA to provide properties foreclosed under its home loan program to nonprofit homeless service providers. VA has made extensive use of this authority and nonprofits have provided many nights of care to homeless veterans as a result.

The bill extend VA's authority to provide a range of non- institutional extended care services and a mandate to provide medically necessary, institutional nursing care services to severely service- connected disabled veterans through December 31, 2008. It allows VA to extend and add a site to its important pilot program on assisted living for veterans. It provides earmarked funding for specialized mental health services for veterans in each of the next three fiscal years. It also continues the reports of two important VA advisory groups who have made a series of solid recommendations to the Under Secretary for Health and the Congress about programs for seriously mentally ill veterans and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Finally, this bill strives to make VA an employer of choice. We have reached one of those rare compromises that seem to offer something to everyone by creating a new appointment and promotion authority for certain clinical personnel, such as clinical psychologists, social workers, audiologists, kinesiologists, and others in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). This authority will allow these employees to enjoy some of the same protections other Federal workers have, but will also provide VA with greater hiring and promotion flexibility. Some health care workers, mostly nursing assistants, will enjoy Saturday premium pay under this bill. It will allow VA to appoint employees of the Veterans' Canteen Service taking into consideration their time in service in that capacity. We have offered VHA the authority to hire chiropractors to enhance the types of health care services it routinely offers veterans.

Madam Speaker, I am proud of the Committee's work on this bill and encourage all of my colleagues to approve it.

Mr. Speaker, and colleagues, good evening, aloha and mabuhay! I rise tonight, on this occasion of national Filipino Veterans Action Day, to express my strong and affectionate support for our great Filipino-American community, as well as for our honored Filipino veterans, both here and in the Philippines, who are so well represented by the American Council on Filipino Veterans, and to highlight just some of the challenges these communities still face and the opportunities we have to address them.

First let us remember that the relationship between the Philippines and our United States has never been stronger. Our modern-day bond began after the 1898 Spanish American War, continued through the commonwealth period into 1946, and strengthened when the independent Republic of the Philippines came into existence on July 4th of that year. For nearly 40 years, from 1907 to 1946, the Philippines in fact was represented in the U.S. Congress through nearly 15 different resident commissioners. Currently, we have a Filipino-American, Congressman Bobby Scott, representing the 3rd District of Virginia. And one year ago, I was proud to be a charter member of the Congressional Philippines Caucus, which today boasts over seventy members.

Apart from the Philippines' continuing vital role in U.S. national security and economic interests in the Asia-Pacific region, our country also has a special relationship with the people of the Philippines. Many have migrated to the United States, in particular my home state of Hawaii, which commemorates the 100th anniversary of our first Filipino immigrants in 2006.

In fact, there are now nearly 2.5 million Filipino-Americans, with significant populations in California, Hawaii, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Washington, Texas, and Florida. In Hawaii alone there are nearly 300,000 Filipino-Americans, including roughly 140,000 in my Second Congressional District, the largest number of any congressional district in our country.

This community's contributions just in Hawaii are notable, in all facets of our society, from politics to business, from teaching to sports and movie stars, you name it. Former Hawaii Governor Ben Cayetano was the first Filipino-American governor ever elected in the United States; our state legislature today has 12 members: 6 senators and 6 representatives. Angela Baraquio became Miss America in 2001. We had Ben Agbayani in professional baseball and Tia Carrera in Hollywood. And let us not forget native daughters Jasmine Trias and Camile Velasco, two of just twelve of 2004's American Idol final contestants.

But perhaps the most vital and painful contribution of Filipinos to our country was the service, and sacrifice, of our Filipino veterans, who fought alongside our troops in World War II. Their heroic efforts were indispensable to the liberation of the Philippines led by General MacArthur and thus to Allied success in that great conflagration, and earned them a place in legend at the same table as, for example, our Japanese-Americans' 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team.

Therefore, the contribution of the American Coalition for Filipino Veterans to designate today as Filipino Veterans Action Day is invaluable to assuring that we never forget. There have been similar efforts in Hawaii from community leaders like Hawaii State Representative Jun Abinsay, Joe Gonzales and Artemio Caleda, former and new presidents, respectively, of the World War II Fil-Am Vets and Ladies Auxilliary Hawaii Chapter, and Domingo Los Banos, a Sergeant with the 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment, U.S. Army, who later worked collaboratively with many others in Hawaii and the mainland in molding that great documentary on the Filipino veterans: ``An Untold Triumph.''

Let me turn now from what has been to what needs to be. Specifically, there are two issues which I believe Congress must address for both Filipino veterans and our Filipino-American community at large. One is veterans' benefits and the other is immigration.

veterans benefits

We know that in 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt made a promise to the members of the Philippine Army and the Philippine Scouts who had fought and would fight for the Allies in World War II. Because they had made and would make the same sacrifices as U.S. servicemembers, President Roosevelt promised that they would receive the same veteran's benefits as those received by American veterans.

However, in the spring of 1946, just one year after the death of our 32nd President, the United States Congress went back on its promise. And that injustice stands uncorrected from that day to this, as these veterans pass increasingly from this earth along with their comrades- in-arms.

Last year, we did make some measure of progress by enacting into law H.R. 2297, legislation increasing VA benefits for U.S. resident Filipino veterans and making New Philippine Scouts living in the U.S. eligible for burial in VA national cemeteries. The House also passed H.R. 2357, which would provide VA nursing home and medical services to Commonwealth Army veterans and New Philippine Scouts residing in the U.S., assuming they-meet the same eligibility requirements as U.S. veterans.

But this is clearly not enough. That is why I am a cosponsor of H.R. 677, the Filipino Veterans Equity Act, which will deem all members of the Philippine Scouts and Philippine Army as qualified to receive the full benefits denied them nearly six decades ago.

As Secretary of Veterans' Affairs Anthony J. Principi wrote: ``The United States is indebted to Filipino veterans, whose heroism and self- sacrifice helped allies emerge victorious from World War II.'' As we all know, our Filipino World War II veterans are entering the sunset years of their lives. I implore my colleagues to get this bill out of committee and bring it to the floor for a vote this year.

immigration

Our country has benefited from the fruits of a century-plus influx of Filipinos as new and productive citizens, and we can and should continue this rich heritage. However, our overall immigration policy has fallen particularly harshly and unfairly on legitimate Filipino immigration of late.

For example, in 1990, we provided a waiver from certain naturalization requirements for Filipino veterans, and many thereafter became proud citizens our country. But a huge gap was created when we did not also permit naturalization of the sons and daughters of these same veterans.

These are real-life issues, for the stories of families who have waited years to be reunited are heartbreaking. For example, a veteran and his wife living in Hawaii filed immigration petitions for two of their six adult children; they have waited over ten years for a visa to be issued to either. Another veteran petitioned successfully for his wife's immigration visa, but has not been as successful with the applications for their five adult children. Again, this family has been holding on for ten years with the hope that they will one day live in the U.S. as a complete family.

H.R. 3587, a bill I introduced in November of last year, would provide these sons and

daughters with priority in their respective immigration categories. I urge its passage.

Two other bills I have introduced also would correct deficiencies in our immigration system which impact Filipino-Americans disproportionately. H.R. 3306, The Compassionate Visitor Visa Act, would facilitate the temporary admission of nonimmigrant aliens in circumstances of family emergency of U.S. citizens or permanent residents. H.R. 4018, introduced yesterday, would ensure that family members who have petitioned to immigrate into the United States are not penalized as a result of an award of citizenship to a sponsoring parent or spouse.

Both bills recognize the basic concept that our country can ensure our national security, while providing flexibility for immigrants from certain countries that have longstanding close relationships with our country. The Philippines is certainly very high on that list.

In summary, Mr. Speaker, both Filipino veterans and our larger Filipino-American community have contributed immensely to our country, and I believe that the best is yet to come. On this Filipino Veterans Action Day, let us recognize that we do what is right for both the past and the future by acknowledging their contributions and committing ourselves to the unfinished business at hand.

Mahalo!

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2297) to amend title 38, United States Code, to modify and improve certain benefits for veterans, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2297 as amended, the Veterans Benefit Act of 2003, contains 20 substantive provisions and is a diverse and comprehensive measure with very broad bipartisan support.

This bill will affect veterans and survivors alike.

Among the education provisions, the bill provides for an expansion of the Montgomery GI Bill, the college program, by authorizing educational assistance for on-job training in certain 6-month self-employment training programs. It provides an extension of the delimiting date for survivors' and dependents' education benefits when the eligible individual is involuntarily ordered to full-time National Guard duty. It provides for an extension of the VA's Veterans' Advisory Committee on education through December 31 of 2009 and for the repeal of the VA's obsolete education loan program authorization. This program has not made a loan in the past several years because of other better options in the public and private sector.

The bill would also provide that the remarriage of the surviving spouse of a veteran after attaining the age of 55 would not result in the termination of Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, or the DIC program. It allows a remarried surviving spouse to attain eligibility for burial in a national cemetery based on his or her marriage to a veteran. It makes permanent the State Cemetery Grants Program. It reinstates a VA pilot program to provide vocational training to newly eligible VA nonservice-connected pension recipients.

It increases, Mr. Speaker, the specially adapted automobile grant from $9,000 to $11,000 and increases the specially adapted housing grant from $48,000 to $50,000 for the most severely disabled veterans and from $9,350 to $10,000 for less severely disabled veterans.

The bill also adds cirrhosis of the liver to the list of presumed service-connected disabilities for former prisoners of war.

It eliminates the requirement that a POW be held for 30 days or more to qualify for presumptions of service-connection for certain disabilities: psychosis and any of the anxiety states, organic residuals of frostbite, and post-traumatic osteoarthritis.

It expands benefits eligibility to those children with spina bifida who were born to Vietnam-era veterans who served in an area of Korea near the demilitarized zone between October 1 of 1967 and May 7 of 1975.

Out of concern about spina bifida, Mr. Speaker, I would note parenthetically that the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak) and I formed the Congressional Spina Bifida Caucus, which we now co-chair. This caucus is dedicated to improving the health care and overall quality of life for the some 70,000 Americans and their families living with spina bifida, and in a very short time I would again note to my colleagues we have about 20 Members who have joined. And just a little push here in promotion, if they would like to join that spina bifida caucus, we would very much like to have them as part of it.

Let me continue with the bill.

H.R. 2297, as amended, would also make permanent the VA home loan program for members of the Selected Reserve. It reinstates the Department of Veterans Affairs' vendee loan program and provides the full amount of compensation and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for eligible members of the New Philippine Scouts, who served just after World War II, who are legal residents of the United States. It also provides the full amount of DIC for service in the organized military forces of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, including organized guerrilla units, to individuals who are legal residents of the United States. It extends eligibility for burial in a national cemetery to New Philippine Scouts, as well as eligibility for burial benefits to those who lawfully reside in the United States. It extends the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to maintain a regional office in Manila, Philippines, through December 31 also of 2009.

It mandates that the Department of Labor place staff in veterans' assistance offices at oversees military installations 90 days after the date of enactment, and it expands the list of serious Federal criminal offenses a conviction of which would result in a bar to all VA benefits.

As I mentioned, Mr. Speaker, the bill addresses the needs for former prisoners of war. Current law requires former POWs to have been confined for at least 30 days before they qualify for a presumption of service-connection for certain disabilities. Prisoners of war in more recent conflicts, however, have been interred for shorter periods of time. All the POWs from Operation Iraqi Freedom were confined for less than 30 days, for example.

Because physical and psychological trauma can indeed occur within minutes of capture, let alone days or weeks, H.R. 2297, as amended, would provide a presumption of service-connection disability without regard to length of confinement for certain psychiatric disabilities as well as cold-weather-related injuries and traumatic osteoarthritis.

The bill would also, as I said, add a number of other aspects, and I hopefully have outlined those adequately to the committee.

Let me just say, finally, Mr. Speaker, I really want to congratulate the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown), the subcommittee chair of our Subcommittee on Benefits, and the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud), his ranking member, for their outstanding work on this legislation, for doing the hard work, holding the hearings, working out all the different disparate provisions, and then working to bring it together in a bipartisan way so that we can present to this body a bill that we can all be proud of that will tangibly advance the ball when it comes to our veterans. I want to thank them very much for their good hard work and also the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), my good friend and colleague, on whom we have partnered for years now as chairman and ranking member, working on bills to benefit our veterans both on the health care area and benefits area. I want to thank him as well.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown), our distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on Benefits, and again I want to thank him for his good work on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) who is the vice chairman of the committee and has been, and as the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown) pointed out, seven times he has now tried to get the Gold Star Wives' compensation not lost if they were to remarry, and this time we have it in the bill. Last year when we sent it over to the Senate, we lost it, but this time I think the seventh time is the charm, and I thank him for his leadership.

Mr. Speaker, before yielding back, I do want to thank and commend the hard work of committee staff, Devon Seibert, Paige McManus, Darryl Kehrer, Patrick Ryan, Kingston Smith, Jim Holley, Mary Ellen McCarthy, Geoffrey Collver, Leah Booth and so many others who have made this legislation and all the bills that we work cooperatively on with my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), to bring to the floor what we think are quality, well-vetted, very thoughtful pieces of legislation that make the difference in the lives of veterans and their families.

This is another example of that kind of cooperation. This is the way this

body should work, and it is so good to see us again working hand-in- glove in this partnership. Again, I want to thank the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown) and the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud) for their good work as chairman and ranking member of the subcommittee. I urge all Members to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, today, along with Representative Rob Simmons of Connecticut, Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health, and three dozen other cosponsors, I am introducing H.R. 2475, the Veterans Health Care Full Funding Act, legislation to ensure full funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs' health care system.-

This bill would fulfill the central recommendation of the President's Task Force To Improve Delivery of Health Care for Our Nation's Veterans, which reported an alarming mismatch between demand for services and available resources that threatened the quality of VA health care. The Task Force recommended that the veterans' health care funding process should be overhauled in order to achieve full funding.

As early as 1993, national veterans organizations were calling for guaranteed funding for VA health care. Last year I introduced H.R. 5250, legislation to achieve that goal by funding VA health care through a permanently fixed formula, one possible approach recommended by the President's Task Force.

The legislation we are introducing today takes the other major approach identified by the Task Force, establishing an independent board of experts on health care economics, with an independent budget and staff, to determine the annual funding levels necessary for veterans' medical care and to be included in the Administration's budget.

Under our legislation, a three-member Funding Review Board would be appointed by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for staggered 15-year terms. The Board would have full access to VA's economic, actuarial and other data relevant to determining health care funding, as well as the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) economic and forecasting analysis, but would be independent of both.

The Board would produce an annual budget request and a budget forecast for funding necessary to provide full health care benefits in a timely and cost-efficient fashion to all enrolled veterans in Priority Groups 1-7, primarily those injured or disabled while serving their nation, or with low income levels. The amount calculated by the Board for the next fiscal year would become the President's budget request submitted to Congress. From that point forward, the congressional budget and appropriations process would remain unchanged.

To ensure that veterans are receiving timely care, the legislation would require VA to provide care in a timely manner; if VA is unable to furnish care to veterans who need it within reasonable timeframes, it would be obligated to contract for that care with private sector health care providers.

In order to promote fiscal discipline within VA health care, the Board would be required to identify areas where VA program efficiencies and savings can be achieved, as well as be required to consider recommendations from OMB.

Mr. Speaker, for at least the past five years, veterans' usage of VA health care services has surpassed every Administration estimate-- Republican and Democrat. The continuing rise in demand for VA health care services has been driven by many factors, including VA's establishment of over 650 new and more convenient VA community-based outpatient clinics for primary care, improved safety and quality of care, and the availability of VA prescription drug benefits. VA has become an increasingly important supplier of prescription drugs to veterans, particularly senior veterans who lack a drug benefit from the Medicare program.

Further evidence of the urgent funding needs of VA health care comes from a report issued last year measuring the amount of time veterans are waiting for medical services. According to VA's report, there were nearly 300,000 veterans waiting for initial medical appointments, half of whom were waiting 6 months or more; and the other half having no appointment at all. While the VA has indicated progress is being made to reduce this waiting list, the Secretary's decision to halt enrollment of Priority 8 veterans for the remainder of this year is another clear indicator that VA is not properly equipped to handle the current demand for medical services because it lacks the funding to do so.

The President's Task Force (PTF) was established in May, 2001 to improve collaboration and resource sharing between the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs health care systems. Within months of the start of its deliberations, the Task Force discovered that a mismatch between demand for VA health care services and available resources prevented VA and DOD from achieving the full advantages of sharing and threatened the quality of VA health care. The PTF recommended in its report that the current budget and appropriations process be reformed. Let me quote from the report:

The Federal Government should provide full funding to

ensure that enrolled veterans in Priority Groups 1 through 7

(new) are provided the current comprehensive benefit in

accordance with VA's established access standards. Full

funding should occur through modifications to the current

budget and appropriations process, by using a mandatory

funding mechanism, or by some other changes in the process

that achieve the desired goal.

The PTF identified two possible approaches to addressing current problems with the funding process: make veterans health care funding a mandatory budgetary item, or create an independent Board of experts, actuaries, or other outside officials to dispassionately review needs and determine funding levels. Both approaches would have the same goal: to achieve full funding to meet demand in a timely manner.

Mr. Speaker, the Veterans Health Care Full Funding Act would accomplish this goal by establishing a funding process similar to one already used by the Department of Defense. Our legislation is modeled on a provision in the 2001 Floyd Spence Defense Authorization Act, Public Law 106-398, popularly known as ``TRICARE for Life.'' Under this legislation, an outside panel of experts and actuaries was established to determine future funding levels to meet health care needs of military retirees and their families in the TRICARE program. Our legislation is modeled on this successful program.

In addition, our legislation would codify standards for veterans' access to health care. Without a requirement that VA meet reasonable access standards, veterans could continue to be denied access to care regardless of any funding. I would like to recognize and thank my colleague on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Representative Ginny Brown-Waite, who has introduced separate legislation, H.R. 2357, to achieve this very goal. The standards established in the Brown-Waite bill are incorporated in the legislation we are introducing today.

The VA budget for fiscal year 2003 contained a record $2.6 billion increase in the funding of medical care for our Nation's veterans and this year, based upon our Committee's recommendations, the House approved another record veterans budget, increasing overall veterans spending by $6.2 billion, including about a $3 billion increase for medical care. But even with these historic increases,

VA may not be able to meet demand for medical services.

Mr. Speaker, with the introduction of the Veterans Health Care Full Funding Act, H.R. 2475, we hope to move beyond debate and discussion and finally get on the fast track to legislative action. It's time to fix the funding system for veterans' health care. I urge all my colleagues to carefully review and consider supporting the Veterans Health Care Full Funding Act, H.R. 2475, to provide dependable, stable and sustained funding to meet the health care needs of veterans of our armed forces. They deserve no less from a grateful nation.