Improving Oversight of Women Veterans' Care Act of 2018

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4334) to provide for certain reporting requirements relating to medical care for women veterans provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs and through contracts entered into by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs with non-Department medical providers, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record on H.R. 4334, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4334, as amended, Improving Oversight of Women Veterans' Care Act of 2018.

While VA has vastly improved its capacity to care for gender-specific needs of women veterans, many are still referred to the community when VA cannot provide the appropriate services.

Mr. Speaker, last week, the House overwhelmingly approved the VA MISSION Act by a vote of 347-70. The MISSION Act will, among other things, improve the ability for eligible veterans to seek care from community providers when VA cannot meet strict access standards.

With more veterans becoming eligible to seek care in the community, it is incumbent upon us as members of the House VA Committee to provide oversight over the care delivered within the community as well.

This bill, offered by my friend and fellow committee member from California (Mr. Correa), would help us do just that. H.R. 4334 would require VA medical centers to report to the Secretary on the compliance of contracted community providers with standards of care for women veterans, as established by VA.

The Secretary would also be required to report to Congress on the accessibility of gender-specific medical care for women with community providers, as well as to develop a plan to strengthen standards of care within the facilities.

Mr. Speaker, as we await Senate passage of the VA MISSION Act, I urge

my colleagues to support this complementary piece of legislation, H.R. 4334, as amended, Improving Oversight of Women Veterans' Care Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Correa's legislation. I, too, was, an OB/GYN physician who saw VA patients. I would like to think that Mr. Correa had all these ideas himself, but I have had the opportunity to find out that he definitely married above himself. His wife is an OB/ GYN, so I think he probably got most of those ideas from her.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

I also concur with my colleague: I urge support of H.R. 4334. I just want to say, right before Memorial Day, it is obviously next week, and many people will go home to picnics and families. We have just heard this afternoon on the House floor the sacrifice of many, many of our veterans and really amazing people that live in our country.

In the past week, the Veterans' Affairs Committee--and I want to thank members on both sides of the aisle--have put together 15 bills: one was a major bill, the VA MISSION Act, which will be taken up by the Senate this week, and 14 bills this afternoon to improve both the care and services provided to our Nation's heroes.

For me, it is a true privilege to get up every day and come to this House, to this body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and to advocate for those men and women that I have so much respect for.

And with that, Mr. Speaker, I wish a happy Memorial Day to everyone, and I encourage everyone to vote for this today.

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

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

I rise in support of Congressman Correa's and Chairman Roe's bill, H.R. 4334, the Improving Oversight of Women Veterans' Care Act.

The gentleman from California has proven over the course of his time in Congress that he is a dedicated advocate for our fastest growing population of veterans: female veterans. His experience working on behalf of veterans in the State of California in the legislature has translated into an informed compassion that has earned the respect of the committee.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4334 does require VA to exercise proper oversight of community care providers it contracts with in order to provide sex- specific healthcare to women when its facilities do not have the equipment or the specialists necessary to care for them.

The latest study by the RAND Corporation confirms that VA delivers superior healthcare to veterans, when compared to the private sector. Previous independent studies confirm this.

For this reason, VA should better monitor the quality of care received by women in the community, and this bill would require that careful monitoring so that women veterans receive high-quality care.

VA should always remain at the center of managing veterans' healthcare. And managing the care veterans receive in the community by only contracting with high-quality providers with the competence to provide treatment to veterans is a major part of ensuring that they receive the highest quality care.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Correa), the chief author of this bill and a good friend to veterans across the country.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Brownley), a champion of veterans--a champion in many areas--and on this issue of treating our female veterans with the dignity, respect, and services that they have earned.

Mr. Speaker, I would certainly encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this important piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, again, I thank the gentleman from Minnesota for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4334, the Improving Oversight of Women Veterans' Care Act.

I want to thank my colleague on the committee, the gentleman from California, for introducing this important legislation to improve the care we deliver for women veterans.

During my time on this committee, I have made it a special priority to ensure women veterans have access to high-quality, gender-specific care in a safe and welcoming environment. This bill will advance that goal in two important ways.

First, it requires the VA to practice additional oversight on the community care providers that the VA contracts with and report on the access women veterans have to gender-specific medical care in the community. This is especially timely, as the House recently passed a bipartisan update to the VA's community care programs. As we stand up the new community care program, we need to do a better job tracking the quality of care provided to women veterans.

Second, this bill requires the VA to report to Congress on their compliance with environment of care standards for women veterans.

Too often, we have heard reports of women veterans who experience issues at VA clinics. A VA Inspector General's report last year found that up to 20 percent of VA clinics did not meet the VA's own requirements for protecting the privacy of women veterans. This is unacceptable. We need to ensure that women veterans are well served, no matter where they get their care, and this bill will help us get closer to that goal.

I urge my colleagues to support the bill. I thank the gentleman from California for his efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4334, the Improving Oversight of Women Veterans' Care Act of 2017.

H.R. 4334 provides for certain reporting requirements relating to medical care for women veterans provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs and through contracts entered into by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs with non-Department medical providers.

By passing this bill ensuring these requirements, we are ensuring equitable attention to health care for veteran men and women.

Such requirements include an annual report to Congress on veteran access to covered sex-specific services such as mammography, maternity care, and gynecological care under community care contracts.

Our United States veterans bravely put their lives on the line to defend our freedoms and to keep our nation safe.

I want to thank all of our armed serviceman and women for their selfless dedication to our nation.

The debt that we owe to them is immeasurable because their sacrifices, and those of their families, are our freedom's foundation.

Mr. Speaker, of the nation's 21.6 million brave veterans, more than 2 million are women.

Further, 20 percent of veterans who have served on active duty since September 2001 are women.

Male and female veterans alike deserve access to health care, and this bill will ensure that discrepancies in care among male and female veterans can be identified and addressed.

I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for H.R. 4334.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bipartisan legislation, H.R. 4334, the Improving Oversight of Women Veterans' Care Act.

Women are the fastest growing cohort of veterans. There are currently 2 million women veterans in the United States and Puerto Rico, almost 10 percent of the overall veteran population.

According to some projections, women veterans are expected to grow to represent 15 percent of all veterans by 2030. Therefore, it is important that we ensure that women veterans receive quality care in a safe and dignified environment, as well as in a timely manner, in and outside the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Specifically, this bill will require an annual report on veteran access to gender-specific care under community care contracts and quarterly reports on environment of care standards for women veterans.

In conclusion, I would like to thank my colleague and friend, Ranking Member Walz, and Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Brownley for the support of this legislation. I thank Chairman Roe as well.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4334.