H.R. 809House112th Congress (2011-2013)In Committee

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to display in each facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs a Women Veterans Bill of Rights.

Sponsored by Bob FilnerRep. Bob Filner (D-CA)
Introduced February 18, 2011

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HouseCommittee Latest Action

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

March 15, 2011

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

February 18, 2011

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

February 18, 2011

HouseCommittee

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

March 15, 2011

Floor Debate

1 member

What members said about H.R. 809 on the floor

1 Democrat
Bob Filner
Rep. Bob FilnerD-CA-51 · Mar 30, 2011

Mr. Speaker, I recently introduced important legislation to establish a women veterans bill of rights, H.R. 809. There are now 1.8 million women veterans, and the number of these women turning to the…

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued February 18, 2011

I

112th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 809

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 18, 2011

Mr. Filner introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

A BILL

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to display in each facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs a Women Veterans Bill of Rights.

1.

Display of women veterans bill of rights

(a)

Establishment

The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that the Women Veterans Bill of Rights described in subsection (b) is—

(1)

displayed prominently in each facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs; and

(2)

distributed widely to women veterans.

(b)

Women Veterans Bill of Rights

The Women Veterans Bill of Rights described in this subsection is a sign stating that women veterans should have the following rights:

(1)

The right to a coordinated, comprehensive, primary women’s health care, at every Department of Veterans Affairs medical facility, including the recognized models of best practices, systems, and structures for care delivery that ensure that every woman veteran has access to a Department of Veterans Affairs primary care provider who can meet all her primary care needs, including gender-specific, acute and chronic illness, preventive, and mental health care.

(2)

The right to be treated with dignity and respect at all Department of Veterans Affairs facilities.

(3)

The right to innovation in care delivery promoted and incentivized by the Veterans Health Administration to support local best practices fitted to the particular configuration and women veteran population.

(4)

The right to request and get treatment by clinicians with specific training and experience in women’s health issues.

(5)

The right to enhanced capabilities of medical providers, clinical support, non-clinical, and administrative, to meet the comprehensive health care needs of women veterans.

(6)

The right to request and expect gender equity in provision of clinical health care services.

(7)

The right to equal access to health care services as that of their male counterparts.

(8)

The right to parity to their male veteran counterpart regarding the outcome of performance measures of health care services.

(9)

The right to be informed, through outreach campaigns, of benefits under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and to be included in Department outreach materials for any benefits and service to which they are entitled.

(10)

The right to be featured proportionately, including by age and ethnicity, in Department outreach materials, including electronic and print media that clearly depict them as being the recipient of the benefits and services provided by the Department.

(11)

The right to be recognized as an important separate population in new strategic plans for service delivery within the health care system of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

(12)

The right to equal consideration in hiring and employment for any job to which they apply.

(13)

The right to equal consideration in securing Federal contracts.

(14)

The right to equal access and accommodations in homeless programs that will meet their unique family needs.

(15)

The right to have their claims adjudicated equally, fairly, and accurately without bias or disparate treatment.

(16)

The right to have their military sexual trauma and other injuries compensated in a way that reflects the level of trauma sustained.

(17)

The right to expect that all veteran service officers, especially those who are trained by the Department of Veterans Affairs Training Responsibility Involvement Preparation program for claims processing, are required to receive training to be aware of and sensitive to the signs of military sexual trauma, domestic violence, and personal assault.

(18)

The right to the availability of female personnel to assist them in the disability claims application and appellate processes of the Department.

(19)

The right to the availability of female compensation and pension examiners.

(20)

The right to expect specialized training be provided to disability rating personnel regarding military sexual trauma and gender-specific illnesses so that these claims can be adjudicated more accurately.

(21)

The right to expect the collection of gender-specific data on disability ratings, for the performance of longitudinal and trend analyses, and for other applicable purposes.

(22)

The right to a method to identify and track outcomes for all claims involving personal assault trauma, regardless of the resulting disability.

(23)

The right for women veterans’ programs and women veteran coordinators to be measured and evaluated for performance, consistency, and accountability.

(24)

The right to burial benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.