To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand veteran eligibility for reimbursement by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for emergency treatment furnished in a non-Department facility, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I stand in support of our veterans and in support of H.R. 1377, to amend title 38, United States Code, to expand veteran eligibility for reimbursement by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for emergency treatment furnished in a non- department facility and for other purposes by my colleague from California, Representative Bob Filner and the Members of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

H.R. 1377 would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to pay for emergency care that certain veterans receive at non-VA medical facilities or to reimburse veterans if they have paid for that care. Specifically, veterans with non-service-connected conditions whose third-party insurer does not cover the full cost of care would be reimbursed.

The bill also permits the VA to reimburse veterans for emergency treatment that was provided prior to the date of enactment. Under current federal law, the Department of Veterans Affairs has the authority to reimburse certain veterans or pay for emergency treatment of a non-service connected condition if the VA is the payer of last resort. However, the VA currently does not pay for emergency treatment for non-service connected conditions in facilities outside the VA system if a veteran has third-party insurance that pays for any portion of the medical cost. H.R. 1377 would make these veterans eligible for reimbursements from the VA.

I have been a strong advocate of supporting our veterans. We are providing for our veterans with legislation such as:

H. Res. 234--which would designate a ``Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.''

H. Res. 1054--Honoring the service and achievements of women in the Armed Forces and female veterans (Rep. Davis (CA)--Armed Services).

H.R. 2790--To establish the position of Director of Physician Assistant Services within the office of the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health as amended (Rep. Hare--Veterans' Affairs).

H.R. 3889--To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a longitudinal study of the vocational rehabilitation programs administered by the Secretary (Rep. Boozman--Veterans' Affairs).

H.R. 5554--Veterans Substance Use Disorders Prevention and Treatment Act of 2008 (Rep. Michaud--Veterans' Affairs)--Passed.

H.R. 5664--To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to update at least once every six years the plans and specifications for specially adapted housing furnished to veterans by the Secretary (Rep. Rodriguez--Veterans' Affairs).

Currently, there are over 25 million veterans in the United States. There are more than 1,633,000 veterans living in Texas. According to the Texas Veterans Commission, there are 197,030 veterans in Harris County. In the 2007 fiscal year health care costs in the 18th district of Texas were over $80,000.

Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in expanding Title 38 for reimbursement of emergency care in non-department facilities for veterans.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1377) to amend title 38, United States Code, to expand veteran eligibility for reimbursement by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for emergency treatment furnished in a non-Department facility, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

I rise in strong support of H.R. 1377, as amended, which would expand veteran eligibility for reimbursement by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for emergency treatment furnished in a nondepartment facility. This legislation would assist veterans who get hurt while they are off duty and require emergency care in a non-VA medical facility.

These veterans do not currently receive any reimbursement from the VA if they have third-party insurance that pays either full or a portion of the emergency care. This creates an inequity that penalizes veterans with insurance, including auto insurance, which is oftentimes mandated by law.

A veteran with an insurance policy which covers any portion of the cost for emergency treatment would be burdened with the remaining amount not covered by insurance. This unfair policy has caused many veterans undue stress and has placed them in unnecessary financial hardship. H.R. 1377, as amended, eliminates this inequity by requiring the VA to pay for emergency care in a non-VA facility, even if the veteran holds a policy that will pay for any portion of their care.

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank Ranking Member Buyer and the Health Subcommittee chairman, Mr. Michaud, for their contributions to this bill as well as the staff.

I urge your support in passing H.R. 1377, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

I continue to reserve the balance of my time, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1377, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I also want to thank Chairman Filner and Ranking Member Buyer for working so hard together to make sure that these wonderful Veterans Affairs issues come before the body. No matter what rumor has ever come up that might come from the administration, the Veterans Committee has always made sure that the veterans are first and foremost in all of our minds.

I urge my colleagues to unanimously support H.R. 1377, as amended.

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

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

I rise in support of H.R. 1377, as amended, to amend title 38, United States Code, to expand VA's authority to reimburse veterans for the cost of emergency care provided in a nondepartment facility. I want to thank the chairman for introducing this bill, which would provide financial protections for veterans in need of emergency care.

Current law allows VA to reimburse a veteran for emergency treatment obtained in a non-VA facility only if the veteran does not have any other entitlement to pay from a private party. As a result, a veteran with a policy that covers only a small part of the emergency care costs could be personally liable for substantial out-of-pocket expenses.

H.R. 1377, as amended, would change current law to authorize VA to cover additional expenses in cases where a veteran receives only partial payment from a third party. However, the legislation does make it clear that VA would be the secondary payer and that payment would be limited to the difference between the amount paid by the private insurance and the VA authorized rate. It also ensures that VA payment fully absolves a veteran from any liability to that provider.

In addition to providing prospective protection for veterans, H.R. 1377 was amended to allow the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to retroactively apply this law on a discretionary basis for a veteran who may have incurred a medical debt for emergency treatment prior to the date of enactment.

Madam Speaker, the chairman has talked about the need for this discretionary authority. As such, Ranking Member Buyer requested during our markup last week that the bill report make it clear that it is the committee's intention for the Secretary to use this authority and take into consideration the facts and circumstances of each veteran's situation. A veteran should not be discouraged from seeking emergency care at the closest community hospital for fear of financial uncertainty.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida, Congresswoman Brown-Waite.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute.

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the Subcommittee on Health chairman, Mike Michaud, and Ranking Member Henry Brown for their hard work on this legislation and Chairman Filner and Ranking Member Buyer for moving this bill so quickly through the committee process.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

General Leave

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I rise today in support of H.R. 1377, a commonsense bill to reimburse veterans for emergency treatment in non-VA facilities. Our first Commander in Chief, George Washington, once said that the willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, will be directly proportional to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their country. Taking care of those who have sacrificed for our Nation is truly our sacred duty. It is a national promise that goes back to Presidents Washington and Lincoln. Yet a couple of weeks ago, President Obama proposed billing veterans for treatment of combat-related injuries. Although the President announced that he was rescinding this proposal, it is nonetheless alarming to our veteran population.

The courageous Americans who have served our country should know that all of us recognize their sacrifice, and this bill by Representative Filner will go a long way in doing just that.

Back in Florida, I represent over 110,000 veterans, the second highest number of any Member of Congress. Many of these brave men and women are disabled either in battle or in the course of their service to the United States military. Yet, veterans in my district must frequently travel long distances to obtain care from a VA facility. As a result, those requiring emergency care must seek treatment in a private or a community-run hospital. Passage of this bill will ensure that veterans are not saddled with massive emergency room bills.

I thank my colleague, Mr. Filner, for introducing H.R. 1377. And I would hope that all Members of this body can support such a worthy message of support for our veterans.