Veterans' Small Business Assistance and Servicemembers Protection Act of 2009

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1963) to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide assistance to caregivers of veterans, to improve the provision of health care to veterans, and for other purposes, as amended.

I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on S. 1963, as amended.

I yield myself 4 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, when I became chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs 3 years ago, the VA was strained to the breaking point by years of chronic underfunding. We were a country at war; yet, the Department of Veterans Affairs remained unprepared to care for the hundreds of thousands of new veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

It is simply our duty as a Nation, no matter where we stand on the war, to put our men and women in harm's way under the care of our Nation when they return. Under the Democratic leadership, Congress has provided almost a 60 percent increase for VA medical care funding over the last 3 years, adding over $20 billion to the VA budget baseline.

S. 1963 demonstrates America's commitment to the dedicated servicemembers who have served in uniform and puts front and center the health care needs of veterans and their families. It is our pledge to them that we have not forgotten the sacrifices they have made in defense of this country. So in this bill, we help caregivers of injured veterans, women veterans, rural veterans, homeless veterans, and veterans with mental health issues.

S. 1963 provides immediate support to the mothers, fathers, husbands, and wives caring for warriors from the current conflicts as well as from previous conflicts. Today we have the opportunity to recognize their tremendous sacrifice and share their heavy burden.

The bill also expands and improves VA services for the 1.8 million women veterans currently receiving VA health care and goes a step further by anticipating the expected increase of women warriors over the next 5 years. This bill seeks to build a VA health care system respectful of the unique medical needs of women veterans.

S. 1963 also advances America's commitment to end veterans' homelessness. Hundreds of thousands of veterans are at risk of homelessness because of poverty and the lack of support from family and friends. An increasing number of veterans of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq are falling into this category, and we must be vigilant in providing support to this population.

We expand the number of places where homeless vets may receive supportive services; and for our veterans struggling without a roof over their heads, this small change in the law will make a big difference in their lives.

The bill also includes key provisions to improve health care provided to our rural veterans by authorizing stronger partnerships with community providers and the Department of Health and Human Services. These collaborations will allow VA to offer health care options to servicemembers living far from the nearest medical facility.

In addition, we address the troubling reality of posttraumatic stress disorder and troubling incidents of suicide amongst the veterans' population. The bill requires a much-needed and long-awaited study on veteran suicide and requires the VA to provide counseling referrals for former members of the Armed Forces who are not otherwise eligible for readjustment counseling.

S. 1963 provides higher priority status for Medal of Honor recipients, establishes a director of physician assistant services, and creates a committee on care of veterans with traumatic brain injury. It requires the VA to provide health care for herbicide-exposed Vietnam veterans and veterans of the Persian Gulf War who have insufficient medical evidence to establish a service-connected disability, and it prohibits the VA from collecting copayments from veterans who are catastrophically disabled.

This bill, Mr. Speaker, demands our immediate attention. We owe our veterans a great debt of gratitude, and this bill represents an understanding that the sacrifices of our veterans are shared amongst all Americans.

I urge all of my colleagues to support passage of S. 1963, as amended, and reserve the balance of my time.

Explanatory Statement Submitted by Mr. Filner, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Regarding the Amendment of the House of

Representatives to S. 1963

Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010

S. 1963, as amended, the ``Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus

Health Services Act of 2010,'' reflects the Compromise

Agreement between the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the

Senate and the House of Representatives (the Committees) on

health care and related provisions for veterans and their

caregivers. The provisions in the Compromise Agreement are

derived from a number of bills that were introduced and

considered by the House and Senate during the 111th Congress.

These bills include S. 1963, a bill to provide assistance to

caregivers of veterans, to improve the provision of health

care to veterans, and for other purposes, which passed the

Senate on November 19, 2009 (Senate bill); and H.R. 3155, a

bill to provide certain caregivers of veterans with training,

support, and medical care, and for other purposes, which

passed the House on July 27, 2009 (House bill).

In addition, the Compromise Agreement includes provisions

derived from the following bills which were passed by the

House: H.R. 402, a bill to designate the Department of

Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Knoxville, Tennessee,

as the ``William C. Tallent Department of Veterans Affairs

Outpatient Clinic,'' passed by the House on July 14, 2009;

H.R. 1211, a bill to expand and improve health care services

available to women veterans, especially those serving in

Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, from

the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes,

passed by the House on June 23, 2009; H.R. 1293, a bill to

provide for an increase in the amount payable by the

Secretary of Veterans Affairs to veterans for improvements

and structural alterations furnished as part of home health

services, passed by the House on July 28, 2009; H.R. 2770, a

bill to modify and update provisions of law relating to

nonprofit research and education corporations, and for other

purposes, passed by the House on July 27, 2009; H.R. 3157, a

bill to name the Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient

clinic in Alexandria, Minnesota, as the ``Max J. Beilke

Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic,'' passed by

the House on November 3, 2009; H.R. 3219, a bill to make

certain improvements in the laws administered by the

Secretary of Veterans Affairs relating to insurance and

health care, and for other purposes, passed by the House on

July 27, 2009; and H.R. 3949, a bill to make certain

improvements in the laws relating to benefits administered by

the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes,

passed by the House on November 3, 2009.

The Compromise Agreement also includes provisions derived

from the following House bills, which were introduced and

referred to the Subcommittee on Health of the House Committee

on Veterans' Affairs: H.R. 919, to enhance the capacity of

the Department of Veterans Affairs to recruit and retain

nurses and other critical health care professionals, and for

other purposes, which was introduced on February 9, 2009;

H.R. 3796, to improve per

diem grant payments for organizations assisting homeless

veterans, which was introduced on October 13, 2009; and H.R.

4166, to make certain improvements in the laws administered

by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs relating to educational

assistance for health professionals, and for other purposes,

which was introduced on December 1, 2009, and was

concurrently referred to the Committee on Energy and

Commerce.

The House and Senate Committees on Veterans' Affairs have

prepared the following explanation of the Compromise

Agreement. Differences between the provisions contained in

the Compromise Agreement and the related provisions in the

bills listed above are noted in this document, except for

clerical corrections and conforming changes, and minor

drafting, technical, and clarifying changes.

Title I--Caregiver Support

Assistance and Support Services for Family Caregivers

(section 101)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 102) that

would create a new program to help caregivers of eligible

veterans who, together with the veteran, submit a joint

application requesting services under the new program.

Eligible veterans are defined as those who have a serious

injury, including traumatic brain injury, psychological

trauma, or other mental disorder, incurred or aggravated

while on active duty on or after September 11, 2001. Within

two years of program implementation, the Department of

Veterans Affairs (VA) would be required to submit a report on

the feasibility and advisability of extending the program to

veterans of earlier periods of service. Severely injured

veterans are defined as those who need personal care services

because they are unable to perform one or more independent

activities of daily living, require supervision as a result

of neurological or other impairments, or need personal care

services because of other matters specified by the VA. For

accepted caregiver applicants, VA would be required to

provide respite care as well as pay for travel, lodging and

per-diem expenses while the caregiver of an eligible veteran

is undergoing necessary training and education to provide

personal care services. Once a caregiver completes training

and is designated as the primary personal care attendant,

this individual would receive ongoing assistance including

direct technical support, counseling and mental health

services, respite care of no less than 30 days annually,

health care through the Civilian Health and Medical Program

of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA), and a

monthly financial stipend. The provision in the Senate bill

would require VA to carry out oversight of the caregiver by

utilizing the services of home health agencies. A home health

agency would be required to visit the home of a veteran not

less often than once every six months and report its findings

to VA. Based on the findings, VA would have the final

authority to revoke a caregiver's designation as a primary

personal care attendant. The provision also would require an

implementation and evaluation report, and provide for an

effective date 270 days after the date of the enactment of

this Act.

The House bill contains comparable provisions (section 2

and section 4) with some key differences. The provisions in

the House bill would provide educational sessions, access to

a list of comprehensive caregiver support services available

at the county level, information and outreach, respite care,

and counseling and mental health services to family and non-

family caregivers of veterans of any era. For family

caregivers of eligible veterans who served in Operation

Enduring Freedom (OEF) or Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF),

the House bill would require VA to provide a monthly

financial stipend, health care service through CHAMPVA,

and lodging and subsistence to the caregiver when the

caregiver accompanies the veteran on medical care visits.

Eligible OEF or OIF veterans are defined as those who have

a service-connected disability or illness that is severe;

in need of caregiver services without which the veteran

would be hospitalized, or placed in nursing home care or

other residential institutional care; and are unable to

carry out activities (including instrumental activities)

of daily living.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision

modified to no longer require VA to enter into relationships

with home health agencies to make home visits every six

months. In addition, the Compromise Agreement follows the

House bill in creating a separate program of general family

caregiver support services for family and non-family

caregivers of veterans of any era. Such support services

would include training and education, counseling and mental

health services, respite care, and information on the support

services available to caregivers through other public,

private, and nonprofit agencies. In the event that sufficient

funding is not available to provide training and education

services, the Secretary would be given the authority to

suspend the provision of such services. The Secretary would

be required to certify to the Committees that there is

insufficient funding 180 days before suspending the provision

of these services. This certification and the resulting

suspension of services would expire at the end of the fiscal

year concerned.

The overall caregiver support program for caregivers of

eligible OEF or OIF veterans would authorize VA to provide

training and supportive services to family members and

certain others who wish to care for a disabled veteran in the

home and to allow veterans to receive the most appropriate

level of care. The newly authorized supportive services would

include training and certification, a living stipend, and

health care--including mental health counseling,

transportation benefits, and respite.

The Compromise Agreement also includes an authorization for

appropriations that is below the estimate furnished by the

Congressional Budget Office. The lower authorization level is

based on information contained in a publication (Economic

Impact on Caregivers of the Seriously Wounded, Ill, and

Injured, April 2009) of the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA).

This study estimated that, annually, 720 post-September 11,

2001 veterans require comprehensive caregiver services. The

Compromise Agreement limits the caregiver program only to

``seriously injured or very seriously injured'' veterans who

were injured or aggravated an injury in the line of duty on

or after September 11, 2001. CNA found that the average

requirement for such caregiver services is 18 months, and

that only 43 percent of veterans require caregiver services

over the long-term. CNA also found that, on average, veterans

need only 21 hours of caregiver services per week. Only 233

family caregivers were referred by VA for training and

certification through existing home health agencies in FY

2008. This represented five percent of all home care

referrals. In FY 2009, only 168 family caregivers were

referred to home care agencies for training and

certification.

Medical Care for Family Caregivers (section 102)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 102) that

would provide health care through the CHAMPVA program for

individuals designated as the primary care attendant for

eligible OEF or OIF veterans and who have no other insurance

coverage.

The House bill contains a comparable provision (section 5),

with a difference in the target population. Under the House

bill, the target population would include all family

caregivers of eligible OEF or OIF veterans, defined as those

who have a service-connected disability or illness that is

severe; are in need of caregiver services without which

hospitalization, nursing home care, or other residential

institutional care would be required; and, are unable to

carry out activities (including instrumental activities) of

daily living.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision.

Counseling and Mental Health Services for Family Caregivers

(section 103)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 102) that

would provide counseling and mental health services for

family caregivers of OEF or OIF veterans.

The House bill contains a comparable provision (section 3),

except that counseling and mental health services would be

available to caregivers of veterans of any era.

The Compromise Agreement contains the House provision.

Lodging and Subsistence for Attendants (section 104)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 103) that

would allow VA to pay for the lodging and subsistence costs

incurred by any attendant who accompanies an eligible OEF or

OIF veteran seeking VA health care.

The House bill contains a comparable provision (section 6),

with a difference in the target population. Under the House

bill, the target population would include all family

caregivers of eligible OEF or OIF veterans, defined as those

who have a service-connected disability or illness that is

severe; are in need of caregiver services without which

hospitalization, nursing home care, or other residential

institutional care would be required; and, are unable to

carry out activities (including instrumental activities) of

daily living.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision.

Title II--Women Veterans Health Care Matters

Study of Barriers for Women Veterans to Health Care from the

Department of Veterans Affairs (section 201)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 201) that

would require VA to report, by June 1, 2010, on barriers

facing women veterans who seek health care at VA, especially

women veterans of OEF or OIF.

H.R. 1211 contains a comparable provision (section 101)

that would require a similar study of health care barriers

for women veterans. The House provision also would define the

parameters of the research study sample; direct VA to build

on the work of an existing study entitled ``National Survey

of Women Veterans in Fiscal Year 2007-2008;'' mandate VA to

share the barriers study data with the Center for Women

Veterans and the Advisory Committee on Women Veterans; and

authorize appropriations of $4 million to conduct the study.

VA would be required to submit to Congress a report on the

implementation of this section within six months of the

publication of the ``National Survey of Women Veterans in

Fiscal Year 2007-2008'', and the final report within 30

months of publication.

The Compromise Agreement contains the House provision.

Training and Certification for Mental Health Care Providers

of the Department of Veterans Affairs on Care for

Veterans Suffering from Sexual Trauma and Post-Traumatic

Stress Disorder (section 202)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 204) that

would require VA to implement a program for education,

training, certification, and continuing medical education

for mental health professionals, which would include

principles of evidence-based treatment and care for sexual

trauma. VA would also be required to submit an annual report

on the counseling, care, and services provided to veterans

suffering from sexual trauma, and to establish education,

training, certification, and staffing standards for personnel

providing treatment for veterans with sexual trauma.

H.R. 1211 contains a similar provision (section 202),

except it included no provision requiring VA to establish

education, training, certification, and staffing standards

for the mental health professionals caring for veterans with

sexual trauma.

The Compromise Agreement contains the House provision.

Pilot Program on Counseling in Retreat Settings for Women

Veterans Newly Separated from Service in the Armed Forces

(section 203)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 205) that

would require VA to establish, at a minimum of five

locations, a two-year pilot program in which women veterans

newly separated from the Armed Forces would receive

reintegration and readjustment services in a group retreat

setting. The provision also would require a report detailing

the pilot program findings and providing recommendations on

whether VA should continue or expand the pilot program.

There was no comparable House provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision but

specifies that the program be carried out at a minimum of

three, not five, locations.

Service on Certain Advisory Committees of Women Recently

Separated from Service in the Armed Forces (section 204)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 207) that

would amend the membership of the Advisory Committee on Women

Veterans and the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans to

require that such committees include women recently separated

from the Armed Forces and women who are minority group

members and are recently separated from the Armed Forces,

respectively.

H.R. 1211 contains a similar provision (section 204) except

that it would allow either men or women who are members of a

minority group to serve on the Advisory Committee on Minority

Veterans.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision.

Pilot Program on Subsidies for Child Care for Certain

Veterans Receiving Health Care (section 205)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 208) that

would require VA to establish a pilot program through which

child care subsidies would be provided to women veterans

receiving regular and intensive mental health care and

intensive health care services. The pilot program would be

carried out in no fewer than three Veterans Integrated

Service Networks (VISNs) for a duration of two years and, at

its conclusion, there would be a requirement for a report to

be submitted within six months detailing findings related to

the program and recommendations on its continuation or

extension. The provision also would direct VA, to the extent

practicable, to model the pilot program after an existing VA

Child Care Subsidy Program.

H.R. 1211 contains a comparable provision (section 203),

but it does not stipulate that the child care program shall

be executed through stipends. Rather, stipends are one option

among several listed, including partnership with private

agencies, collaboration with facilities or program of other

Federal departments or agencies, and the arrangement of

after-school care.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision,

with a modification to clarify that the child care subsidy

payments shall cover the full cost of child care services. In

addition, the provision expands the definition of veterans

who qualify for the child care subsidy to women veterans who

are in need of regular or intensive mental health care

services but who do not seek such care due to lack of child

care services. Finally, the Compromise Agreement follows the

House provision by allowing for other forms of child care

assistance. In addition to stipends, child care services may

be provided through the direct provision of child care at an

on-site VA facility, payments to private child care

agencies, collaboration with facilities or programs of

other Federal departments or agencies, and other forms as

deemed appropriate by the Secretary.

Care for Newborn Children of Women Veterans Receiving

Maternity Care (section 206)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 209) that

would authorize VA to provide post-delivery health care

services to a newborn child of a woman veteran receiving

maternity care from VA if the child was delivered in a VA

facility or a non-VA facility pursuant to a VA contract for

delivery. Such care would be authorized for up to seven days.

H.R. 1211 contains a comparable provision (section 201),

but would allow VA to provide care for a set seven-day period

for newborn children of women veterans receiving maternity

care.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision.

Title III--Rural Health Improvements

Improvements to the Education Debt Reduction Program (section

301)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 301) that

would eliminate the cap in current law on the total amount of

education debt reduction payments that can be made over five

years so as to permit payments equal to the total amount of

principal and interest owed on eligible loans.

H.R. 4166 contains a provision (section 3), that would

expand the purpose of the Education Debt Reduction Program

(EDRP), set forth in subchapter VII of chapter 76 of title

38, United States Code, to include retention in addition to

recruitment, as well as to modify and expand the eligibility

requirements for participation in the program. In addition,

the provision would increase the total education debt

reduction payments made by VA from $44,000 to $60,000 and

raise the cap on payments to be made during the fourth and

fifth years of the program from $10,000 to $12,000. The

provision would also provide VA with the flexibility to waive

the limitations of the EDRP and pay the full principal and

interest owed by participants who fill hard-to-recruit

positions at VA.

The Compromise Agreement contains the House provision.

Visual Impairment and Orientation and Mobility Professionals

Education Assistance Program (section 302)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 302) that

would require VA to establish a scholarship program for

students accepted or enrolled in a program of study leading

to certification or a degree in the areas of visual

impairment or orientation and mobility. The student would be

required to agree to maintain an acceptable level of academic

standing as well as join VA as a full-time employee for three

years following their completion of the program. VA would be

required to disseminate information on the scholarship

program throughout educational institutions, with a special

emphasis on those with a high number of Hispanic students and

Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

H.R. 3949 contains the same provision (section 302).

The Compromise Agreement contains this provision.

Demonstration Projects on Alternatives for Expanding Care for

Veterans in Rural Areas (section 303)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 305) that

would authorize VA to carry out demonstration projects to

expand care to veterans in rural areas through the

Department's Office of Rural Health. Projects could include

VA establishing a partnership with the Centers for Medicare

and Medicaid Services to coordinate care for veterans in

rural areas at critical access hospitals, developing a

partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services

to coordinate care for veterans in rural areas at community

health centers, and the expanding coordination with the

Indian Health Service to enhance care for Native American

veterans.

There was no comparable House provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision.

Program on Readjustment and Mental Health Care Services for

Veterans who Served in Operation Enduring Freedom and

Operation Iraqi Freedom (section 304)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 306) that

would require VA to establish a program providing OEF and OIF

veterans with mental health services, readjustment counseling

and services, and peer outreach and support. The program

would also provide the immediate families of these veterans

with education, support, counseling, and mental health

services. In areas not adequately served by VA facilities, VA

would be authorized to contract with community mental health

centers and other qualified entities for the provision of

such services, as well as provide training to clinicians and

contract with a national non-profit mental health

organization to train veterans participating in the peer

outreach and support program. The provision would require an

initial implementation report within 45 days after enactment

of the legislation. Additionally, the Secretary would be

required to submit a status report within one year of

enactment of the legislation detailing the number of veterans

participating in the program as well as an evaluation of the

services being provided under the program.

There was no comparable House provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision, but

does not include the reporting requirement and authorizes

rather than requires VA to contract with community mental

health centers and other qualified entities in areas not

adequately served by VA facilities.

Travel Reimbursement for Veterans Receiving Treatment at

Facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs (section

305)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 308) that

would authorize VA to increase the mileage reimbursement rate

under section 111 of title 38, United States Code, to 41.5

cents per mile, and, a year after the enactment of this

legislation, allow the Secretary to adjust the newly

specified mileage rate to be equal to the rate paid to

Government employees who use privately owned vehicles on

official business. If such an adjustment would result in a

lower mileage rate, the Secretary would be required to submit

to Congress a justification for the lowered rate. The

provision also would allow the Secretary to reimburse

veterans for the reasonable cost of airfare when that is the

only practical way to reach a VA facility.

There was no comparable House provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision.

Pilot Program on Incentives for Physicians Who Assume

Inpatient Responsibilities at Community Hospitals in

Health Professional Shortage Areas (section 306)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 313) that

would require VA to establish a pilot program under which VA

physicians caring for veterans admitted to community

hospitals would receive financial incentives, of an amount

deemed appropriate by the Secretary, if they maintain

inpatient privileges at community hospitals in health

professional shortage areas. Participation in the pilot

program would be voluntary. VA would be required to carry out

the pilot program for three years, in not less than five

community hospitals in each of not fewer than two VISNs. In

addition, VA would be authorized to collect third party

payments for care provided by VA physicians to nonveterans

while carrying out their responsibilities at the community

hospital where they are privileged.

There was no comparable House provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision.

Grants for Veterans Service Organizations for Transportation

of Highly Rural Veterans (section 307)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 315) that

would require VA to establish a grant program to provide

innovative transportation options to veterans in highly rural

areas. Eligible grant recipients would include state veterans

service agencies and veterans service organizations, and

grant awards would not exceed $50,000.

There was no comparable House provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision.

Modifications of Eligibility for Participation in Pilot

Program of Enhanced Contract Care Authority for Health

Care Needs of Certain Veterans (section 308)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 316) that

would clarify the definition of eligible veterans who are

covered under a pilot program of enhanced contract care

authority for rural veterans, created by section 403(b) of

the Veterans' Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act

of 2008 (P.L. 110-387, 122 Stat. 4110). Eligible veterans

would be defined to include those living more than 60 minutes

driving distance from the nearest VA facility providing

primary care services, living more than 120 minutes driving

distance from the nearest VA facility providing acute

hospital care, and living more than 240 minutes driving

distance from the nearest VA facility providing tertiary

care.

H.R. 3219 contains the same provision (section 206).

The Compromise Agreement contains this provision.

Title IV--Mental Health Care Matters

Eligibility of Members of the Armed Forces Who Served in

Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom for

Counseling and Services Through Readjustment Counseling

Services (section 401)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 401) that

would allow any member of the Armed Forces, including members

of the National Guard or Reserve, who served in OEF or OIF to

be eligible for readjustment counseling services at VA

Readjustment Counseling Centers, also known as Vet Centers.

The provision of such services would be limited by the

availability of appropriations so that this new provision

would not adversely affect services provided to the veterans

that Vet Centers are currently serving.

There was no comparable House provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision.

Restoration of Authority of Readjustment Counseling Service

to Provide Referral and Other Assistance upon Request to

Former Members of the Armed Forces Not Authorized

Counseling (section 402)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 402) that

would require VA to help former members of the Armed Forces

who have been discharged or released from active duty, but

who are not otherwise eligible for readjustment

counseling. VA would be authorized to help these

individuals by providing them with referrals to obtain

counseling and services from sources outside of VA, or by

advising such individuals of their right to apply for a

review of their release or discharge through the

appropriate military branch of service.

There was no comparable House provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision.

Study on Suicides among Veterans (section 403)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 403) that

would require VA to conduct a study to determine the number

of veterans who committed suicide between January 1, 1999 and

the enactment of the legislation. To conduct this study, VA

would be required to coordinate with the Secretary of

Defense, veterans' service organizations, the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention, and state public health

offices and veterans agencies.

There was no comparable House provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision.

Title V--Other Health Care Matters

Repeal of Certain Annual Reporting Requirements (section 501)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 501) that

would eliminate the reporting requirements, set forth in

sections 7451 and 8107 of title 38, United States Code, on

pay adjustments for registered nurses. These reporting

requirements date to a time when VA facility directors had

the discretion to offer annual General Schedule (GS)

comparability increases to nurses. Current law requires VA to

provide GS comparability increases to nurses so that that pay

adjustment report is no longer necessary. The provision would

also eliminate the reporting requirement on VA's long-range

health care planning which included the operations and

construction plans for medical facilities. The information

contained in this report is already submitted in other

reports and plans, in particular the Department's annual

budget request.

There was no comparable House provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision.

Submittal Date of Annual Report on Gulf War Research (section

502)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 502) that

would amend the due date of the Annual Gulf War Research

Report from March 1 to July 1 of each of the five years with

the first report due in 2010.

There was no comparable House provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision.

Payment for Care Furnished to CHAMPVA Beneficiaries (section

503)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 503) that

would clarify that payments made by VA to providers who

provide medical care to a beneficiary covered under CHAMPVA

shall constitute payment in full, thereby removing any

liability on the part of the beneficiary.

There was no comparable House provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision.

Disclosure of Patient Treatment Information from Medical

Records of Patients Lacking Decision-making Capacity

(section 504)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 504) that

would authorize VA health care practitioners to disclose

relevant portions of VA medical records to surrogate

decision-makers who are authorized to make decisions on

behalf of patients lacking decision-making capacity. The

provision would only allow such disclosures where the

information is clinically relevant to the decision that the

surrogate is being asked to make.

There was no comparable House provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision.

Enhancement of Quality Management (section 505)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 506) that

would create a National Quality Management Officer to act as

the principal officer responsible for the Veteran Health

Administration's quality assurance program. The

provision would require each VISN and medical facility to

appoint a quality management officer, as well as require VA

to carry out a review of policies and procedures for

maintaining health care quality and patient safety.

There was no comparable House provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision.

Pilot Program on Use of Community-Based Organizations and

Local and State Government Entities To Ensure That

Veterans Receive Care and Benefits for Which They are

Eligible (section 506)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 508) that

would require VA to create a pilot program to study the use

of community organizations and local and State government

entities in providing care and benefits to veterans. The

grantees would be selected for their ability to increase

outreach, enhance the coordination of community, local,

state, and Federal providers of health care, and expand the

availability of care and services to transitioning

servicemembers and their families. The two-year pilot program

would be required to be implemented in five locations and, in

making the site selections, the Secretary would be required

to give special consideration to rural areas, areas with high

proportions of minority groups, areas with high proportions

of individuals who have limited access to health care, and

areas that are not in close proximity to an active duty

military station.

There was no comparable House provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision, but

would give VA 180 days to implement the pilot program.

Specialized Residential Care and Rehabilitation for Certain

Veterans (section 507)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 509) that

would authorize VA to contract for specialized residential

care and rehabilitation services for certain veterans.

Eligible veterans would be those who served in OEF or OIF,

suffer from a traumatic brain injury (TBI), and possess an

accumulation of deficits in activities of daily living and

instrumental activities of daily living that would otherwise

require admission to a nursing home.

There was no comparable House provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision.

Expanded Study on the Health Impact of Project Shipboard

Hazard and Defense (section 508)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 510) that

would require VA to contract with the Institute of Medicine

(IOM) to study the health impact of veterans' participation

in Project Shipboard Hazard and Defense (SHAD). The study

would be intended

to cover, to the extent practicable, all veterans who

participated in Project SHAD and may utilize results from the

study included in IOM's report on ``Long-Term Health Effects

of Participation in Project SHAD.''

There was no comparable House provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision.

Use of Non-Department Facilities for Rehabilitation of

Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury (section 509)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 511) that

would clarify when non-VA facilities may be utilized to

provide treatment and rehabilitative services for veterans

and members of the Armed Forces with TBI. Specifically, the

provision would allow non-VA facilities to be used when VA

cannot provide treatment or services at the frequency or

duration required by the individual plan of the veteran or

servicemember with TBI. The provision also would allow the

use of non-VA facilities if VA determines that it is optimal

for the recovery and rehabilitation of the veteran or

servicemember. Such non-VA facility would be required to

maintain standards that have been established by an

independent, peer-reviewed organization that accredits

specialized rehabilitation programs for adults with TBI.

There was no comparable House provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision.

Pilot Program on Provision of Dental Insurance Plans to

Veterans and Survivors and Dependents of Veterans

(section 510)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 513) that

would require VA to carry out a three-year pilot program to

provide specified dental services through a contract with a

dental insurer. Additionally, the provision would provide

that the pilot program should take place in at least two but

no more than four VISNs and that enrollment would be

voluntary. The program would provide diagnostic services,

preventive services, endodontic and other restorative

services, surgical services, emergency services, and such

other services as VA considers appropriate.

There was no comparable House provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision,

modified to provide that the pilot program may take place in

any number of VISNs the Secretary deems appropriate. The

purpose of providing the Secretary with this authority is to

ensure the capability, should it be required, to maximize the

number of voluntary enrollees insured under the dental

program so as to reduce premium expenditures.

Prohibition on Collection of Copayments from Veterans who are

Catastrophically Disabled (section 511)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 515) that

would add a new section 1730A in title 38, United States

Code, to prohibit VA from collecting copayments from

catastrophically disabled veterans for medical services

rendered, including prescription drug and nursing home care

copayments.

H.R. 3219 contains the same provision (section 203).

The Compromise Agreement contains this provision.

Higher Priority Status for Certain Veterans who are Medal of

Honor Recipients (section 512)

H.R. 3519 contains a provision (section 201) that would

amend section 1705 of title 38, United States Code, to place

Medal of Honor recipients in priority group 3 for the

purposes of receiving health care through VA. This would

situate Medal of Honor recipients in a priority group with

former prisoners of war and Purple Heart recipients.

The Senate bill contains no comparable provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the House provision.

Hospital Care, Medical Services, and Nursing Home Care for

Certain Vietnam-Era Veterans Exposed to Herbicide and

Veterans of the Persian Gulf War (section 513)

H.R. 3219 contains a provision (section 202) that would

amend section 1710 of title 38, United States Code, to

provide permanent authorization for the special treatment

authority of Vietnam-era veterans exposed to an herbicide and

Gulf-War era veterans who have insufficient medical evidence

to establish a service-connected disability.

The Senate bill contains no comparable provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the House provision.

Establishment of Director of Physician Assistant Services in

Veterans Health Administration (section 514)

H.R. 3219 contains a provision (section 204) that would

create the position of Director of Physician Assistant

Services in VA central office who would report directly to

the Under Secretary for Health on all matters related to

education, training, employment, and proper utilization of

physician assistants.

The Senate bill contains no comparable provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the House provision,

modified to require the Director of Physician Assistant

Services to report directly to the Chief of the Office of

Patient Services instead of to the Under Secretary for

Health.

Committee on Care of Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury

(section 515)

H.R. 3219 contains a provision (section 205) that would

require VA to establish a Committee on Care of Veterans with

Traumatic Brain Injury. This Committee would be required to

evaluate VA's capacity to meet the treatment and

rehabilitative needs of veterans with TBI, as well as make

recommendations and advise the Under Secretary for Health on

matters relating to this condition. Additionally, VA would be

required to submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of

the Senate and the House of Representatives an annual report

on the Committee's findings and recommendations and the

Department's response.

The Senate bill contains no comparable provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the House provision.

Increase in Amount Available to Disabled Veterans for

Improvements and Structural Alterations Furnished as Part

of Home Health Services (section 516)

H.R. 1293 contains a provision that would increase, from

$4,100 to $6,800, the amount authorized to be paid to

veterans who have service-connected disabilities rated 50

percent or more disabling for home improvements and

structural alterations. The provision would also increase

from $1,200 to $2,000, the amount authorized to be paid to

veterans with service-connected disabilities rated less than

50 percent disabling.

The Senate bill contains no comparable provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the House provision.

Extension of Statutorily Defined Copayments for Certain

Veterans for Hospital Care and Nursing Home Care (section

517)

Under current law, VA has the authority to provide hospital

and nursing home care on a space available basis to veterans

who do not otherwise qualify for such care. VA is authorized

to collect from such a veteran an amount equal to $10 for

every day that a veteran receives hospital care, and $5 for

every day a veteran receives nursing home care. This

authority expires on September 30, 2010.

Neither the House nor Senate bills contain a provision to

extend this authority.

The Compromise Agreement contains a provision which would

extend the statutorily defined copayments for certain

veterans for hospital care and nursing home care to September

30, 2012.

Extension of Authority to Recover Cost of Certain Care and

Services from Disabled Veterans with Health-Plan

Contracts (section 518)

Under current law, VA is authorized to recover the costs

associated with medical care provided to a veteran for a non-

service-connected disability if, among other eligibility

criteria, the veteran receives such care before October 1,

2010, the veteran has a service-connected disability, and the

veteran is entitled to benefits for health care under a

health-plan contract.

Neither the House nor Senate bills contain a provision to

extend this authority.

The Compromise Agreement contains a provision which would

extend the authority to recover the cost of such care and

services from disabled veterans with health-plan contracts to

October 1, 2012.

Title VI--Department Personnel Matters

Enhancement of Authorities for Retention of Medical

Professionals (section 601)

The Senate bill contains provisions (section 601) intended

to improve VA's ability to recruit and retain health

professionals. First, VA would be given the authority to

apply the title 38 hybrid employment system to additional

health care occupations to meet the recruitment and retention

needs of VA. Next, the probationary period for full-time and

part-time registered nurses would be set at two years; part-

time registered nurses who served previously on a full-time

basis would not be subject to a probationary period. In

addition, VA would be authorized to waive the salary offset

where the salary of an employee rehired after retirement from

the Veterans Health Administration is reduced according to

the amount of their annuity under a federal government

retirement system.

Section 601 also would provide for a number of new or

expanded pay authorities, including setting the pay for all

senior executives in the Office of the Under Secretary for

Health at Level II or Level III of the Executive Schedule;

authorizing recruitment and retention special incentive pay

for pharmacist executives of up to $40,000; amending the pay

provisions of physicians and dentists by clarifying the

determination of the non-foreign cost of living adjustment,

exempting physicians and dentists in executive leadership

positions from compensation panels, and allowing for a

reduction in market pay for changes in board certification or

a reduction of privileges; modifying the pay cap for

registered nurses and other covered positions to Level IV of

the Executive Schedule; allowing the pay for certified

registered nurse anesthetists to exceed the pay caps for

registered nurses; increasing the limitation on special pay

for nurse executives from $25,000 to $100,000; adding

licensed practical nurses, licensed vocational nurses, and

nursing positions covered by title 5 to the list of

occupations that are exempt from the limitations on increases

in rates of basic pay; and expanding the eligibility for

additional premium pay to part-time nurses. Finally, section

601 would improve VA's locality pay system by requiring VA to

provide education, training, and support to the directors of

VA health care facilities on the use of locality pay system

surveys.

H.R. 919 contains a comparable provision (section 2) which

would not, in contrast to

the Senate bill, restrict VA from applying hybrid title 38

status to positions that are administrative, clerical or

physical plant maintenance and protective services, would

otherwise be included under the authority of section 5332 of

title 5, United States Code; do not provide direct patient

care services, or would otherwise be available to provide

medical care and treatment for veterans. The House provision

also would not place restrictions on the categories of part-

time nurses for whom the probationary period would be waived.

The House section contains an additional provision which

would provide comparability pay up to $100,000 per year to

all individuals appointed by the Under Secretary for Health

under the authority of section 7306 of title 38, United

States Code, who are not physicians or dentists and who would

be compensated at a higher rate in the private sector.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision,

modified to eliminate the provision of the Senate bill that

would provide VA with the authority to waive salary offsets

for retirees who are reemployed in the Veterans Health

Administration.

Limitations on Overtime Duty, Weekend Duty, and Alternative

Work Schedules for Nurses (section 602)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 602) that

would prohibit VA from requiring nurses to work more than 40

hours in an administrative work week or more than 8 hours

consecutively, except under unanticipated emergency

conditions in which the nurses' skills are necessary and good

faith efforts to find voluntary replacements have failed. The

provision also would strike subsection 7456(c) of title 38,

United States Code, which provides that nurses on approved

sick or annual leave during a 12-hour work shift shall be

charged at a rate of five hours of leave per three hours of

absence. Finally, for recruitment and retention purposes, VA

would be authorized to consider a nurse who has worked 6

regularly scheduled 12-hour work shifts within a 14-day

period to have worked a full eighty-hour pay period.

H.R. 919 contains the same provision (section 3).

The Compromise Agreement contains this provision.

Reauthorization of Health Professionals Educational

Assistance Scholarship Program (section 603)

H.R. 919 contains a provision (section 4) that would

reinstate the Health Professionals Educational Assistance

Scholarship Program. Section 2 of H.R. 4166 contains a

similar provision which would also direct VA to fully employ

program graduates as soon as possible following their

graduation, require graduates to perform clinical rotations

in assignments or locations determined by VA, and assign a

mentor to graduates in the same facility in which they are

serving.

The Senate bill contains a similar provision but did not

include the requirement to fully employ graduates as soon as

possible.

The Compromise Agreement contains the provision from

section 2 of H.R. 4166.

Loan Repayment Program for Clinical Researchers from

Disadvantaged Backgrounds (section 604)

H.R. 919 (section 4) and H.R. 4166 (section 4) contain

identical provisions that would allow VA to utilize the

authorities available in the Public Health Service Act for

the repayment of the principal and interest of educational

loans of health professionals from disadvantaged

backgrounds in order to employ such professionals in the

Veterans Health Administration to conduct clinical

research.

The Senate bill contains the same provision (section 603).

The Compromise Agreement contains this provision.

Title VII--Homeless Veterans Matters

Per Diem Grant Payments (section 701)

H.R. 3796 contains a provision that would authorize VA to

make per diem payments to organizations assisting homeless

veterans in an amount equal to the greater of the daily cost

of care or $60 per bed, per day. The provision would also

require VA to ensure that 25 percent of the funds available

for per diem payments are distributed to organizations that

meet some but not all of the criteria for the receipt of per

diem payments. These would include (in order of priority)

organizations that meet each of the transitional and

supportive services criteria and serve a population that is

less than 75 percent veterans; organizations that meet at

least one but not all of the transitional and supportive

services criteria, but have a population that is at least 75

percent veterans; or organizations that meet at least one but

not all of the transitional and supportive services criteria

and serve a population that is less than 75 percent veterans.

The Senate bill contains no comparable provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the House provision, but

does not require the minimum amount of $60 per bed, per day

for the Grant and Per Diem program. In addition, VA would be

authorized but not required to award the per diem grants to

non-profit organizations meeting some but not all of the

criteria for the receipt of such payments.

Title VIII--Nonprofit Research and Education Corporations

General Authorities on Establishment of Corporations (section

801)

H.R. 2770 contains a provision (section 2) that would

authorize Nonprofit Research and Education Corporations

(NPCs) to merge, thereby creating multi-medical center

research corporations.

The Senate bill contains the same provision (section 801).

The Compromise Agreement contains this provision.

Clarification of Purposes of Corporations (section 802)

H.R. 2770 contains a provision (section 3) that would

clarify the purpose of NPCs to include specific reference to

their role as funding mechanisms for approved research and

education, in addition to their role in facilitating research

and education.

The Senate bill contains the same provision (section 802).

The Compromise Agreement contains this provision.

Modification of Requirements for Boards of Directors of

Corporations (section 803)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 803) that

would require that a minimum of two members of the Board of

Directors of an NPC be other-than-federal employees.

Additionally, the provision would allow for the appointment

of individuals with expertise in legal, financial, or

business matters. The provision also would conform the law

relating to NPCs to other federal conflict of interest

regulations by removing the requirement that members of the

NPC boards have no financial relationship with any entity

that is a source of funding for research or education by VA.

H.R. 2770 contains a comparable provision (section 4), but

provides that the executive director of the corporation may

be a VA employee.

The Compromise Agreement contains the House provision, with

a modification which removes the provision allowing VA

employees to serve as executive directors.

Clarification of Powers of Corporations (section 804)

H.R. 2770 contains a provision (section 5) that would

clarify the NPCs' authority to accept, administer, and

transfer funds for various purposes. NPCs would be allowed to

enter into contracts and set fees for the education and

training facilitated through the corporation.

The Senate bill contains the same provision (section 804).

The Compromise Agreement contains this provision.

Redesignation of Section 7364A of Title 38, United States

Code (section 805)

H.R. 2770 contains a provision (section 6) that would

provide clerical amendments associated with implementing this

legislation concerning Nonprofit Research and Education

Corporations.

The Senate bill contains the same provision (section 805).

The Compromise Agreement contains this provision.

Improved Accountability and Oversight of Corporations

(section 806)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 806) that

would strengthen VA's oversight of NPCs by requiring those

NPCs with revenues of over $10,000 to obtain an independent

audit once every three years, or with revenues of over

$300,000 to obtain such an audit each year, and to submit

certain Internal Revenue Service forms.

H.R. 2770 contains a comparable provision (section 7), but

would instead raise to $100,000 the threshold for requiring

three-year audits and to $500,000 the revenue threshold that

would require yearly audits. The provision also would revise

conflict of interest policies to apply to the policies

adopted by the corporation.

The Compromise Agreement contains the House provision.

Title IX--Construction and Naming Matters

Authorization of Medical Facility Projects (section 901)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 901) that

would authorize funds for the following major medical

facility projects in FY 2010: Livermore, California; Walla

Walla, Washington; Louisville, Kentucky; Dallas, Texas; St.

Louis, Missouri; Denver, Colorado and Bay Pines, Florida.

There was no comparable House provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision, but

strikes the authorization for the construction project in

Walla Walla, Washington, since authorization for this

construction project was provided in Public Law 111-98,

enacted on November 11, 2009.

Designation of Merril Lundman Department of Veterans Affairs

Outpatient Clinic, Havre, Montana (section 902)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 903) that

would name VA outpatient clinic in Havre, Montana, as the

``Merril Lundman Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient

Clinic.''

There was no comparable House provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision.

Designation of William C. Tallent Department of Veterans

Affairs Outpatient Clinic, Knoxville, Tennessee (section

903)

In the House, H.R. 402 contains a provision that would name

the VA outpatient clinic in Knoxville, Tennessee as the

``William C. Tallent Department of Veterans Affairs

Outpatient Clinic.''

The Senate bill contains no comparable provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the House provision.

Designation of Max J. Beilke Department of Veterans Affairs

Outpatient Clinic, Alexandria, Minnesota (section 904)

In the House, H.R. 3157 contains a provision that would

name the VA outpatient clinic in Alexandria, Minnesota as the

``Max J. Beilke Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient

Clinic.''

The Senate bill contains no comparable provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the House provision.

Title X--Other Matters

Expansion of Authority for Department of Veterans Affairs

Police Officers (section 1001)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 1001) that

would provide additional authorities to VA uniformed police

officers, including the authority to carry a VA-issued weapon

in an official capacity when off VA property and in official

travel status, the authority to conduct investigations on and

off VA property of offenses that may have been committed on

VA property, expanded authority to enforce local and State

traffic regulations when such authority has been granted by

local or State law, and to make arrests based upon an arrest

warrant issued by any competent judicial authority.

There was no comparable House provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision.

Uniform Allowance for Department of Veterans Affairs Police

Officers (section 1002)

The Senate bill contains a provision (section 1002) that

would modify VA's authority to pay an allowance to VA police

officers for purchasing uniforms. The provision would provide

a uniform allowance in an amount which is the lesser of the

amount prescribed by the Office of Personnel Management or

the actual or estimated cost as determined by periodic

surveys conducted by VA.

There was no comparable House provision.

The Compromise Agreement contains the Senate provision.

Submission of Reports to Congress by Secretary of Veterans

Affairs in Electronic Form (section 1003)

Under current law, there is no requirement for VA to submit

Congressionally mandated reports in an electronic form.

Neither the House nor Senate bills contained a provision to

change this procedure.

The Compromise Agreement contains a provision which would

create a new section 118 in title 38, United States Code,

which would require VA to submit reports to Congress, or any

Committee thereof, in electronic format. Reports would be

defined to include any certification, notification, or other

communication in writing.

Determination of Budgetary Effects for Purposes of Compliance

with Statutory Pay-As-You-Go-Act of 2010 (section 1004)

Neither the Senate nor House bills contain a provision

relating to compliance with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go-Act

of 2010, Title I of P.L. 111-139, 124 Stat. 8.

The Compromise Agreement contains a procedural provision to

require the determination of the budgetary effects of

provisions contained in the Compromise Agreement to be based

upon the statement entered into the Congressional Record by

the Chairman of the Committee on the Budget of the House of

Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, the chairman of our Health Subcommittee, Mr. Michaud, and ranking member, Mr. Brown of South Carolina, were the chief hard workers on this bill. We thank them all.

I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to Chairman Michaud.

Mr. Speaker, before I yield to our Speaker, I just want to say with gratitude, on the part of our Nation's veterans, in her 3\1/2\ years as Speaker and her years before that as minority leader, Ms. Pelosi focused like a laser on the needs of our veterans. We would not be here with this landmark bill were it not for our Speaker.

I yield 1 minute to the Speaker of the House, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to Ms. Herseth Sandlin of South Dakota, the chair of our Economic Opportunity Subcommittee and the prime mover behind the section of this bill dealing with our women veterans.

Mr. Speaker, the freshman members of our committee have added a new level of commitment and enthusiasm and have played a major part in this bill. I would like to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to one of those great freshmen, Mrs. Halvorson of Illinois.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to another one of our great freshmen, Mr. Perriello from Virginia.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Teague from New Mexico authored an important provision in the bill, and I would yield to him 1\1/2\ minutes to explain that provision.

Mr. Speaker, another valued member of our committee, Mr. Ciro Rodriguez of Texas, authored an important provision in this bill, and I would recognize him for 1\1/2\ minutes.

Mr. Speaker, how much time does each side have remaining?

Mr. Speaker, one of the great provisions of this bill is an incentive program to get doctors in certain specialties into the VA. The author of that scholarship program is Ms. Jackson Lee of Texas, and I would recognize her for 1 minute.

Mr. Speaker, this bill adds an important position to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The author of that legislation is Mr. Hare of Illinois. He was on our committee; I wish we had him back. I yield him 1 minute.

Mr. Speaker, the gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson), added an important provision with regard to retention and recruitment of the kind of professionals we need in the VA. I would yield to her 1 minute and thank her for her efforts.

I yield myself the balance of my time, and I want to return the debate to the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, this is a landmark bill. Finally, it gives some help to the caregivers of wounded warriors--family members who have to, perhaps, give up their jobs and spend almost full time with their loved ones. There is the issue of women veterans, which is a rising percentage in what was always a male institution, and we have to change the culture there in the VA. We help our homeless veterans. We help those who are in rural areas, and we provide more money for mental health care for all of our Nation's veterans. This is an important bill, and I urge unanimous approval.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of S. 1963, as amended, the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010.

This bill represents a bipartisan effort on behalf of the House and Senate, and I express my thanks to Chairman Filner, Chairman Akaka, and Ranking Member Burr for their leadership. I'd also like to thank Chairman Michaud and Ranking Member Brown of the Subcommittee on Health for their efforts in bringing this legislation forward.

Reflecting the spirit of compromise and cooperation, S. 1963 is composed of a number of bills from both sides of the aisle. It would provide increased access to care, better outreach and support for wounded veterans, rural veterans, and homeless veterans, and also includes enhancements and provisions of mental health care and readjustment counseling for recent veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.

I would like to thank my good friend and colleague from Kansas, Jerry Moran, for his bill, H.R. 3103, that was included to help VA move forward with a pilot program to enhance contract care authority for highly rural veterans. This pilot, which was enacted in the last Congress, was Mr. Moran's initiative.

I'd also like to thank my friend John Duncan from Tennessee for introducing his bill, H.R. 402, which is included in this legislation. H.R. 402 would name the Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Knoxville, Tennessee, the William C. Tallent Veterans Outpatient Clinic. This gentleman honorably served in World War II and maintained a lifelong service to veterans.

S. 1963 would also establish a new, all-encompassing system of support for family caregivers. As we all know, some veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have been severely wounded and will require a great deal of care for the rest of their lives. In previous wars, these veterans would probably not have survived their wounds, but significant improvements in battlefield medicine, the medicine logistics chain and the follow-up treatment have improved the survival rates for the most severely wounded combatants.

Family caregivers are more often than not at the core of what sustains the treatment and recovery of a severely wounded or injured soldier. Their commitment is strong and heartfelt; yet, it can be enormously challenging in a long recovery. There are many struggles that families face when assuming this role, including job absences, lost income, travel and relocation costs, child care concerns, exhaustion, and emotional and psychological stress. Many, understandably, become overwhelmed and eventually experience burnout. So there is a real problem, and the question is how to best address it.

I am concerned, however, about a provision in this bill that would establish an unprecedented stipend for certain family caregivers. I would have preferred to build upon and expand an existing successful Department of Veterans Affairs VA program known as Aid and Attendance. The Aid and Attendance program is paid directly to veterans so they can obtain the needed service in their own homes. The extent and types of services could be expanded, and last summer I proposed to do so in H.R. 3407, the Severely Injured Veterans' Benefits Act of 2009. It would provide a 50 percent increase in compensation for catastrophically injured veterans who are in need of assistance for daily personal needs, such as bathing and eating. It gives the veteran the choice of how to obtain services tailored to their unique needs and circumstances.

It is unclear how the caregiver stipend program in this bill will operate and how it will work in conjunction with the present Aid and Attendance or whether it replaces some of the current services.

Additionally, Mr. Speaker, we lack a Congressional Budget Office estimate of this compromised agreement. It appears that the Democrat majority has not been obtaining CBO cost estimates for discretionary bills, and we still don't have the official views of the administration on the compromised legislation. I am aware of their concerns. I requested the administration to address them in writing on March 18, 2010, and they were due on April 7. Although we have not yet read them, it is my understanding they are still in the concurrence process.

Based on legislative hearing testimony from last year, I believe the VA has concerns about the caregiver stipend as well as some of the other personnel provisions included in the bill. Dr. Cross, who is the principal deputy undersecretary for health, testified before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. This is in reference to the caregiver provisions. He stated, The VA does not support section 209. Currently we are able to contract for caregiver services with home health and similar public and private agencies. The contractor trains and pays them and affords them liability protection and oversees the quality of care. This remains the preferable arrangement as it does not divert VA from its primary mission of treating veterans and training clinicians. Moreover, it does not put VA in the position of having to tell family members how, at risk of losing their caregiver compensation, they have to care for their loved ones.

Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that the administration's concern regarding the caregiver stipend provision in this bill was not worked out because the bill, as a whole, does many good things for veterans. I hope this issue gets resolved with the administration, and I am pleased that legislation that I had sponsored, H.R. 1293, the Disabled Veterans Home Improvement and Structural Alteration Grant Increase Act of 2009, is in this bill. This would increase the amount VA is authorized to pay under its home health services to make modifications to a veteran's home to enable the veteran to be cared for in their home rather than in a hospital or institutional setting.

We should always be reminded that while veterans may spend only a short time in uniform, the wounds they carry home with them can last a lifetime and profoundly impact their daily lives.

I reserve my time.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

I would like to thank the Speaker for her kind remarks and her support of the bill. Also, I ask for your support, we have a problem we have to get worked out, and that deals with the widows, orphans, and the Spina Bifida Program was left out of the health care bill that we recently passed to ensure that it's defined as minimum essential benefit.

Madam Speaker, I hope for your support for this. The issue has been addressed in the Senate. The Senate passed it, the bill is at the desk, but it has to originate in the House, so I ask for your support on this.

Thank you, I appreciate that.

I now yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown).

Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield 2 minutes to Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite of Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve and defer to the chairman.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, in an exchange I just had in a colloquy with Speaker Pelosi with regard to her commitment to correct an error in the President's health package, I would like to place that commitment in some context.

Since late July of last year, when the debate on the President's health care package started, I tried on multiple occasions to ensure that the care our Nation's veterans and their families received from the Department would be considered minimum essential coverage. I did that during the markup in the Subcommittee on Health, in the Energy and Commerce Committee, and in the full committee. My efforts included trying to obtain jurisdiction for the Veterans' Affairs Committee on H.R. 3200 back in August of last year.

In November, during the floor debate on H.R. 3962, I again sought to obtain protections for our Nation's veterans and their families. At that time, not only I but Chairman Filner received assurances in writing from the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, from the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and from the Energy and Labor Committee that veterans and their families would, in fact, be protected.

I think this will be helpful to us, Mr. Filner, as your bill proceeds.

Most recently, in March, I and Ranking Member Buck McKeon of the House Armed Services Committee offered an amendment to H.R. 3590, which would ensure that benefits offered under TRICARE and the Department of Veterans Affairs programs would be considered minimum essential coverage. However, our amendment was not allowed then under the rule, and I made that appeal to the Rules Committee.

This amendment was then introduced in a form of legislation, H.R. 4894, which then was referred to the Energy and Commerce Committee.

I raised the issue again, because in that recently passed Senate health bill, it did not include some of the veterans' programs in the definition of ``minimum essential coverage.'' Unfortunately, the bill did not mention the ``other veterans' programs'' under chapter 17. It mentioned veterans' programs but not the other veterans' programs under chapter 17 of title 38, which includes widows, orphans, and dependents covered by the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the VA, known as CHAMPVA. It also did not mention chapter 18, which includes the spina bifida program for the children of Korea and Vietnam veterans who have spina bifida as a result of their parents' exposure to Agent Orange.

I brought up that issue. When Chairman Skelton recognized that the Senate health bill mentioned TRICARE for Life but did not mention TRICARE, he immediately brought a bill to the floor, and it was considered. I tried to amend that bill. I tried to get it withdrawn. At that time, I received a commitment from the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee that he would work with us to get that corrected. I even raised the issue during the markup of the President's health bill, itself, on the floor. I know the VFW was very concerned, along with the American Legion.

Yet, as I raised these concerns that this bill had a large error, I was marginalized. I was marginalized by some in the House who said, Oh, those issues are not real. Even the White House issued a press release, along with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, which read that it was unfounded. Well, it is founded. It is a problem that we have to fix. Senator Akaka passed a bill to protect the veterans. It passed on unanimous consent. It is currently at the Speaker's desk. However, the parliamentarian has ruled that it is a revenue bill. Otherwise, I would immediately call it forward.

So what has happened? A little magic dust again.

I appreciate, with regard to this issue, that the chairman has recognized that there is an error which needs to be corrected. I am deeply appreciative. So is the Speaker. She has just exercised her commitment to correct the error in the bill.

Chairman Filner has taken the language of the Akaka bill and has introduced his own bill. It has been referred now to the Ways and Means Committee. I have written a letter as a follow-up. From the colloquy I had with Chairman Levin of the House Ways and Means Committee, I have asked him to expedite Mr. Filner's bill and to have it brought to the floor so that we can correct this error in the President's health bill and so that we may cover the widows, the orphans, the spina bifida program, and CHAMPVA, all of which were excluded from the definition of ``minimum essential coverage.'' That will correct the error, and I think that needs to be done. I had hoped that Mr. Filner's bill would have been included in the bill we are presently considering. That would have cleaned this up now, but that didn't occur.

So I've taken every opportunity to try to correct this error, but for whatever reason, it just hasn't gotten done. It needs to be done. I think it was an error in the drafting. No one intended for widows, for orphans, and for the beneficiaries of the spina bifida program to be left out. I believe it was unintentional, but it is a real issue, and we need to correct it. Hopefully, we are going to do that.

I want to thank the chairman for his leadership to correct that error, and I want to thank the staff on both sides of the aisle for all of their efforts in the bill.

I would ask my colleagues to pass the bill that is before us, and I yield back the balance of my time.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3219, as amended, the Veterans' Benefits Act of 2010.

This is an omnibus benefit and health bill that contains many provisions to help veterans and their families. I am glad that we were finally able to work this out with the Senate and, really, pass many of the provisions that the House had passed previously in the summer of 2009.

This bill contains many provisions authored also by my Republican colleagues, including:

The Pat Tillman Scholarship Initiative that would require the VA to publish a list of college scholarship opportunities for veterans on their Web site. This initiative grew from a meeting that my staff had with the family of the U.S. Army Ranger and former NFL star, Pat Tillman.

After Tillman's death in Afghanistan, his family and friends founded the Pat Tillman Foundation. Foundation staff informed my staff that they were having problems educating and reaching potential veterans for college scholarships they were awarding. This provision will assist groups like the Pat Tillman Foundation by informing veterans of scholarship opportunities for veterans by placing them on their Web site.

We also have the reauthorization of the Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program. This program is run by the Department of Labor's Veterans Employment and Training Service and provides grants to local homeless veteran providers for job-skill training and counseling. This program has been lauded as one of the most successful programs in the Federal Government in combating homelessness.

I am also pleased that we were able to include an expansion of this program to local homeless providers that offer job skill training for homeless women veterans and homeless veterans with children. This is an initiative that I have worked on, and I appreciate the cooperation of the majority to make this, in fact, a reality.

I took up a cause with regard to addressing this in the 1990s, when the Clinton administration went into a lot of the inner cities and wanted to help recruit women with children, as we were doing the welfare reform initiatives, and bring them into the military. So they joined the military and then they also brought their children. When they left the military, some actually returned to welfare and some became homeless. The fact that we have women with children in America who are homeless, I could not stand that thought.

So I want to thank the majority for working with us in making these provisions a reality.

This expansion was originally drafted as H.R. 293 and was part of the Nobel Warrior Initiatives that I introduced in January of 2009. Unfortunately, this program is needed, as I said, because recent reports also by the VA indicate 9 percent of the homeless veteran population is women, many of whom have children. These individuals obviously require a safe and supportive environment in a private setting in which they can regain their footing and acquire skills which will lead them to meaningful employment. Once that occurs, they become self-enriched, and they also become better mentors to their children.

I hope that this expansion, more homeless veteran providers, will expand beyond their normal male-dominated services to assist women as well as homeless veterans with children.

Another one of my provisions in H.R. 3219, as amended, would allow veterans to purchase additional amounts of Veterans Group Life Insurance coverage. Currently the amount of VGLI coverage that a veteran can have cannot be changed. Because the level of coverage must be made within the first year of a servicemember's discharge, and because most of the separating servicemembers are young and single, many select levels that become insufficient as they age and have families. The provision would allow veterans to purchase up to $400,000 of VGLI coverage in $25,000 increments every 5 years until age 60. The cost of such increases would be offset by premiums, so there would be no direct cost to taxpayers.

This provision would also allow veterans to tailor their life insurance coverage to fit their current needs and provide greater security for their families, and I am glad it was included in the bill.

The final provision I would like to highlight was introduced by the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, John Boozman. This provision would establish a program to make grants of up to $200,000 to encourage the development of new assistive technologies for specifically adaptive housing.

The goal of this provision is to encourage the development of technology to provide the maximum level of independence to severely disabled veterans in their daily living. This includes emerging technologies such as voice command operations, integrated computer- managed functions, and fall prevention devices, and I am pleased this measure will also authorize much of the needed funding for this goal.

I am also pleased this bill includes many other improvements for veterans and their families, such as creating a new veterans energy- related employment program; increasing training for veteran employment specialists; increasing protections for deployed servicemembers under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act in regard to cell phone contracts; providing numerous VA life insurance program improvements; increasing the plot and burial allowance for deceased veterans; authorizing aid and attendance benefits for veterans with traumatic brain injury; increasing the number of veterans who can begin receiving independent living services; expanding eligibility for adaptive auto grants to disabled veterans and servicemembers with severe burn injuries; and requiring a National Academies study of best treatments for chronic multisymptom illness in Persian Gulf veterans.

It authorizes the funding for construction of medical facilities and/ or community outpatient clinics in Long Beach, California; Billings, Montana; Boston, Massachusetts; San Francisco, California; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. We also have an increase in here with regard to the hospital in New Orleans.

Under section 902 of title IX under ``construction,'' the modification of authorization for the amount of medical facility construction projects previously authorized for the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, increases from $625 million to $995 million.

The reason I stopped to highlight that is I am going to exercise some disappointment, because we were never able to achieve a joint facility and agreement to actually save money by having some jointness here between Tulane and LSU and another one of the hospitals. This is a lost opportunity. It is really unfortunate. So we are going to be building another one of these big state-of-the-art VA hospitals, and it costs now about $1 billion.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I reserve my time.

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

I would like to take the opportunity to thank the highly capable staff of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, not only the full committee, but also the subcommittees. It seems that each session of Congress both bodies pass so many different individual pieces of legislation that we have picked up as a now regular course of doing business creating an omnibus bill.

So we do a puts and takes, back and forth between the House and the Senate, and we actually then create a much larger bill that we then bring to the floor that can best serve the interests of America's veterans.

And that's in fact what we have here. This is really a very good bill. I couldn't begin to tell you, Mr. Speaker, how many hours have gone into the development of this bill. It is a bipartisan bill. I really appreciate the work of not only my colleagues in the Senate, but also their staff.

At this time I would specifically like to mention the leadership of Colonel Malcom Shorter. I would like to thank you for your leadership, sir, on the committee. I recognize it and it is appreciated. And to your counterpart, your pilot, an Air Force colonel himself, Kingston Smith, the Republican House staff director. The two staff directors I think worked very well together, both having worn the uniform. You don't get caught down in the fights between political parties. You think about serving the men and women in uniform. And for that I want to congratulate both of you for keeping everyone focused.

I also want to thank David Tucker. David is someone that I have known for a lot of years on the committee. I find him to be a man of distinct honor and integrity. You have always been a very straight shooter, David. Also, he is one whereby if in fact you raise an issue of law or I have raised an issue of law, we diligently dive into it and we get our interpretations and we also get Kingston Smith for his read. But I have had a distinct pleasure, David, of working with you over the years, and I want to recognize your valuable contribution not only in this bill, but what you have done over the years. I consider your talent valuable, but I consider your friendship even more.

To Juan Lara, the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, the staff director, thank you very much for your work with Mike Brinck on the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity. Not only do you two work together, but you also take the leads of Stephanie Herseth Sandlin and Dr. Boozman. And, as I said many times, this subcommittee sets the pace not only for the House Veterans' Affairs Committee itself, but I think you set the pace for the entire Congress. This little subcommittee, how you work together interoperably, you can't even tell who is a Republican and who is a Democrat. For that, I congratulate you. I think America would rejoice and may even be surprised that somebody in this town thinks about being an American first. So I want to thank you for your leadership and being a pacesetter.

Kimberly Ross, the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs staff director, along with Brian Lawrence, the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance Republican Staff Director, both are also pacesetters and don't always get all the attention that they should. Brian, along with Mike Brinck, these are two individuals that are also incredibly talented. Mike, I really appreciate all the years that I have had the opportunity to work with you. And, Jon, I would say for you, you're an individual for whom much is expected. I truly believe that.

I guess I am at that point in my career, Mr. Speaker, that I am being a little nostalgic because I recognize individuals, that their diligence, hard work, it's invaluable to the committee; it's invaluable to Congress. There's a reason that we call them professional staff, because that's exactly what they are. They are very professional in their work. Both committees can actually go to a professional staffer and they're going to tell them exactly the read or give them the recommendation for the best interest in how to serve the Nation. And so these individuals whom I have read truly live up to the status of being a professional staffer here in Congress.

I also recognize that this is probably the last markup I will have with the House Veterans' Affairs Committee. I want to share this. It has truly been a distinct honor to serve the Nation's veterans, Mr. Speaker. I serve the men and women who wear the military uniform. I help take care of their families, the spouses, the children, the widows, the orphans, the consequences of war, the consequences of their service; and it has been a distinct honor to work with a lot of very talented people to do that.

I get upset at times in the committee, and I can have disagreements even with my friends in the veterans service organizations when individuals play their politics or they don't follow the rules or they don't follow the process. And we're meant to be a bipartisan committee. When that doesn't happen, I can get really upset pretty quick.

So I'll end with saying that, Mr. Speaker, it has been a distinct honor. I have also enjoyed serving with you, Jesse.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendments to the bill (H.R. 3219) to amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements in the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs relating to insurance and health care, and for other purposes.

Mr. 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. 3219.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I rise in strong support of what is now entitled the Veterans' Benefits Act of 2010, H.R. 3219, the title being amended in the Senate.

This is an omnibus benefits bill jointly assembled by both the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs. It is comprehensive. It is bipartisan. It is bicameral. In fact, and we can rarely say this, Mr. Speaker, it has already been approved by the Senate by unanimous consent.

The critical bill would greatly enhance, expand, and modernize many of the benefits afforded to our veterans, particularly disabled veterans, their families, and survivors.

The provisions in this bill are the culminating result of numerous productive hearings and markups, meaningful oversight and bipartisan compromise, all to ensure that those who are willing to lay down their lives for our country and their families and survivors receive meaningful, world-class, 21st century benefits from their Nation.

I want to thank the chairman of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, John Hall of New York; Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity; and their respective ranking members, Mr. Lamborn and Mr. Boozman, for shepherding many of these provisions through their committees. It will do a great deal of good for our veterans, their families, and survivors.

For example, section 101 includes language originally sponsored by Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin of South Dakota that would reauthorize the recently expired VA work-study program and expand the type of work available for veterans participating in the program. In the last fiscal year of 2009, a little over 17,000 veterans participated in this important program.

Section 102 incorporates legislation championed by Mrs. Kirkpatrick of Arizona, which would reauthorize the VA Veterans' Advisory Committee on Education. The committee would provide the VA Secretary with a knowledgeable group of experts to give feedback on existing education benefits and information on ways to improve current programs.

Section 106 includes language championed by a new but very active member of our committee, Congressman Harry Teague of New Mexico. Congressman Teague's bipartisan work in advancing this pilot program, which seeks to employ our Nation's veterans while addressing the growing need for an energy-related workforce, is to be strongly commended.

Mr. Teague also championed section 204, which would provide injured servicemembers returning to active duty a waiver for the VA's home loan funding fees, keeping it in line with the intent of the waiver, which is to assist our injured servicemembers and veterans. I applaud Congressman Teague for his leadership.

Sections 201 and 202 include provisions championed by Congressman Boozman, which seek to reauthorize the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program and create a similar program to focus on homeless women veterans and homeless veterans with children.

Sections 301 through 303 incorporate provisions that I and Congressman Connolly of Virginia have worked on during this Congress. These sections seek to strengthen the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act by permitting the cancellation of motor vehicle leases, prohibiting early termination penalties, and allowing servicemembers the option to cancel certain phone and service contracts.

Sections 401, 402, 404, 405, and 407 represent the great work of Mr. Donnelly of Indiana; Mrs. Halvorson of Illinois; Mr. Buyer, who is retiring; Mrs. Kirkpatrick of Arizona; and Mr. Perriello. These provisions increase many of the outdated insurance policy amounts and terms for our veterans, many of whom are severely disabled or who have suffered traumatic injury.

Sections 501, 502, and 503 represent burial and cemetery matters put forth by Ms. Berkley of Nevada, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, and Mr. Salazar of Colorado.

Ms. Berkley and Mr. Salazar are both former members of our Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Ms. Berkley has been a longtime champion of increasing funeral benefits and plot allowances to reflect modern costs. Mr. Salazar has worked tirelessly to ensure that the veterans in the southern Colorado region would be served by a national cemetery. Now, both of these goals are set for enactment.

Mr. Frank's provision is known as the Corey Shea Act and would allow parents of our fallen servicemembers to be laid to rest with their son or daughter if there are no other eligible survivors.

The bill contains a host of upgraded benefits, including:

Section 604, championed by Mr. Higgins of New York, which would allow our low-income pensioners to receive payments of up to $5,000 from States or municipalities without offset;

Section 803 would provide greater automobile and adaptive equipment to veterans with severe burn injuries;

Section 804 would increase the automobile allowance for disabled veterans from $11,000 to almost $19,000; and

Sections 805 and 806 would allow the Institute of Medicine to take a closer look at those veterans who suffer from illnesses associated with service in the Persian Gulf wars.

This bill enjoys resounding support from the veterans service organizations, including Gold Star Wives, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars, AMVETS, Blinded Veterans Association, the American Legion, and the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

I thank all the Members of the House who have contributed to and worked on this comprehensive bill. On behalf of our 24 million veterans and their families and survivors and as chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I thank all of you for your input.

Of course, none of this would have come to fruition without the hard work of our committee staff. I thank those on both sides of the aisle and their counterparts in the Senate. I want to especially thank the staff from the House Legislative Counsel and the Congressional Budget Office.

Finally, I want to thank our staff director, Malcom Shorter; our staff director for disability, Kimberly Ross; and her colleague, Juan Lara, for their tireless work to see this great effort through to finality.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Berkley), who is a former member of our committee and whom we miss very, very, very much.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I just wanted to thank the gentlelady, frankly, for not only her persistence in this particular benefit that is so important but, as I understand it, the Las Vegas veterans hospital is under construction.

You fought for that for more than a decade and it is finally going to be built. When does it open?

I yield to the gentlewoman.

We applaud again your persistence for that. We know the veterans in Las Vegas and surroundings are going to be well served.

I thank the gentlewoman.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I don't know that we'll be in session again before Veterans Day on November 11. This is a bill that will really raise the level of standards for all of our Nation's veterans; and we can look at it as, I think, a perfect gift that can be delivered on Veterans Day. So I ask my colleagues to unanimously support H.R. 3219.

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

Mr. Speaker, this is a sad day for me because it is close to the anniversary of the death in Iraq of a very brave young man, Corey Shea, whose picture is here.

He was killed in Iraq just the day after Veterans Day of last year, and I went to the funeral, along with my colleague Senator Kerry, to the town of Mansfield, Massachusetts. Like I think most Members, I try very hard to attend the funeral of every young man and woman who is killed in the service of the country. It's the least we can do. It's not a great deal, but it's the least we can do to show a small piece of the gratitude we feel to those people and our obligation to their families.

Also, it seems to me, anybody in our position who has to vote on going to war needs to fully understand the consequences of those votes, and going to the funerals of the young people killed in those wars ought to be mandatory for any of us who vote. That doesn't mean you don't vote for the war. I voted for the war in Afghanistan. I've been to funerals of people killed there. But it is an important thing to hammer home.

In this case at the funeral I met an extraordinary woman, Denise Anderson, the mother of Corey Shea, who was, in her grief at the loss of her wonderful young son, further concerned because he would be buried alone.

His country took him when he was too young to have married or raised a family. So under the rules of eligibility for burial at a veterans cemetery, he was to be buried alone. His mother said as bad as it was for her to lose her son, the thought that he would be alone forever added greatly to her pain. So she had asked if she could be buried with him, and she was turned down.

Now, under the rules a member of the military eligible to be buried in a national cemetery who has a spouse with children can have up to three parts used. So we're not taking anything away from someone. In Corey Shea's case, this wonderful young man who lost his life has three parts available, and his mother simply asked to be allowed to use one of them. She was turned down.

At that point Senator Kerry and I decided to see what we could do. So we filed legislation to alleviate that, and I am enormously grateful to all members from both parties in the Committee on Veterans' Affairs for the speed with which they acted and the grace they showed to this brave, grieving mother. And I am very pleased that the bill which we would dare concur in, called the Corey Shea Act, is going to be included in this package.

Mr. Speaker, rather than go further myself, I'm going to read the testimony that Denise Anderson, the mother of Corey Shea, presented to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. We obviously exhausted our remedies, I should say. She applied. Only after it was clear that only legislation would work did we file a bill.

And, of course, I should point out, as a tribute to Denise Anderson, this isn't a bill just for her and her son who lost his life. It's a bill for any parent of any young member of the military who will know at least that that's available to him or to her.

So nearly a year after her son was killed in Iraq, she had the opportunity to address the committee, and here's what she said:

``I stand before you humbly asking you to pass or amend this bill number H.R. 761. This would allow me to be interred with my son, who was killed in action in Mosul, Iraq on November 12, 2008. He sacrificed his life for his country, and I sacrifice every day being without him.

``My son, Corey, had a heart as big as the world. He would be the first one to volunteer or help someone in need. But he would always hesitate to ask for help. He was a lot like me in that way, but today I show my passion for this bill by standing in front of you asking for your help. If you knew my son, you would understand what kind of person he was. He was a very respectful young man who would do anything for anybody. He was my heart and soul, and I cannot express the bond between us. If you have children, you might understand, but losing a child is against nature and he should be burying me.

``I was a single parent until Corey was about 8 years old. His biological father was not around. In fact, he was in prison. He never paid child support, and I worked over 60 hours a week just to support him and make sure he had everything he needed. Jeff took over the job of stepfather and Corey gladly accepted him. When he came home on leave, we would stay up until the sun came up. I did not want to miss a minute with him.

``My son was killed by an Iraqi soldier. These soldiers are supposed to be working with our troops over in Iraq. He was an Iraqi soldier for 4 years before turning on our soldiers. On that terrible day, he killed two soldiers, including my son, and wounded six other American soldiers.

``I was not home when the Army came to my door, but my 18-year-old

daughter was there. She is a very intelligent person and knew why they were there. She called me, not telling me what was going on, which was probably a good thing. But when I arrived home, the Mansfield police and the Army vehicle were parked in front of my home. My son had only a month left on his first tour, and he would have been home. After passing out, the police called the paramedics, who took me to the hospital.

``The whole town came together for Corey. They were so involved with his funeral, and it was very heartfelt. My son was the only and hopefully the only soldier who passed away during this war in Mansfield. He is a Mansfield hero. I belong to the VFW in Mansfield, Massachusetts, and I have spoken to many veterans that are members there, and they don't have a problem with me being interred with my son. In fact, everyone I spoke with doesn't haven't a problem.

``This amendment would not be taking up any other deserving space for other veterans. My son has three extra plots, but he was not married nor did he have any dependents. He did not have time, since, like I said, he was a child himself.

``I could speak all day regarding my son and what a wonderful and respectful young man he was. But I am here to ask you to amend the bill number H.R. 761. If you decide to pass this, it would give me some peace in my life to which I can pay more attention to my husband and daughter, whom I feel I have been neglecting. I could finally be able to move forward in my life just knowing I can spend eternity with my son.

``Please listen with your hearts and amend this bill. I appreciate your time listening to me today. This may be a minimal issue with you, but it means everything to me.

``Thank you for your attention in this matter.

``Denise Anderson, proud mother of Specialist Corey Shea, my warrior hero and wonderful son.''

I would only say the one difference I would have with Mrs. Anderson is no one here takes this as a minimal issue. We are grateful to her for giving us one more chance to show in a small way how much we honor those who have lost their lives.

I will just repeat one thing I said, Mr. Speaker, in the testimony. I cannot think of a greater disproportion than what Denise Anderson gave to us, her son, and what she has asked us to give in return. I am pleased that at least the House will be doing that today.