House Hosts Hearing on Veterans’ Health Care Legislation

On Tuesday, the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health hosted a hearing to discuss pending veterans’ health care legislation. Your VFW was on hand and provided written testimony offering comments on bills dealing with issues like VA travel benefits, CHAMPVA regulations, and medical research.

One of the bills discussed was H.R. 1284, which would expand travel reimbursements to veterans who require inpatient rehabilitation as a result of spinal cord injuries, amputation or blindness. These programs are only located at a few VA facilities, and often veterans cannot afford the cost of traveling great distances to receive the care they need. The VFW feels that all severely disabled veterans should have access to the rehabilitation they need from VA, and should never forgo care because of restrictions based on income or level of service connection, which is why the VFW supports this bill.

H.R. 288 would allow dependent children to remain under CHAMPVA coverage until the age of 26. CHAMPVA is the only federal health care program that still does not offer coverage to that group, in accordance with the national standard established by the Affordable Care Act in 2010. The VFW strongly supports this legislation.

Another bill which the VFW strongly supported was H.R. 984, which would establish an interagency task force on genitourinary organ trauma, or urotrauma – the technical terms for the loss or damage to reproductive organs. A recent study shows that 5 to 10 percent of battlefield injuries involve urotrauma, and that these injuries have been on the rise since dismounted patrols increased in Afghanistan. The task force, which would be comprised of doctors from VA, each service branch, and the Department of Health and Human Services would work to advance the care and treatment of these physically and emotionally devastating wounds.

These bills will now move to the markup phase where the VFW anticipates full committee approval and advancement. To learn about the morning’s witnesses, read prepared remarks and to view an archived webcast of the hearing, click here.

To read the VFW’s prepared testimony in its entirety, click here.

VFW Joins Military Credentialing Discussion

Yesterday your VFW joined Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine and Illinois Rep. Tammy Duckworth for a discussion on professional credentialing for military training.

Kaine and Duckworth spoke to dozens of veterans, veterans’ advocates, industry leaders, and local officials about the importance of military skills translation and the cultivation of a career-ready military force.

Duckworth, a combat-wounded Army helicopter pilot, explained that service members sign their work with their lives in the military – a level of dedication that many in private industry cannot comprehend. However, she went on to say that while the military prepares its officers well for careers after military service, enlisted personnel in similar military jobs often do not have the same kinds of professional development opportunities.

Kaine, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that he believed military professional training is an enormous public investment with the potential to benefit all of society.

Kaine and Duckworth are the sponsors of the Troop Talent Act of 2013, a companion bill in the Senate and House that would improve the path to civilian professional credentials for service members trained by the military, ensure credentials are relevant to civilian industries, and increase access to high-demand industries for service members.

The VFW proudly supported the Troop Talent Act when it was introduced in early April, and will continue to monitor it as it moves through the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. Check back regularly for updates.

(Image: Sen. Kaine discusses how the Troop Talent Act will help make service members career-ready upon leaving the military. Photo by Ryan Gallucci.)

VFW Lands in Israel for Military and Veterans’ Fact-Finding Visit

This week VFW Senior Vice Commander-in-Chief Bill Thien is in Israel to share ideas with our allies on issues like military personnel readiness and veterans’ issues like training, benefits, resiliency and access to mental health care. The VFW will also learn about the geopolitical issues facing Israelis and Palestinians in the volatile region.

VFW National Legislative Director Ray Kelley accompanied Thien on the trip and will provide updates throughout the week.

For the first day on the ground, Thien took a morning tour of Jerusalem to see the Wailing Wall and the border between Israeli and Palestinian territories in the city.

The wall is truly a retaining wall for the old city of Jerusalem, but it has become an important location because the Jewish temple once was where the Golden Dome is located. This historically religious site is a major sticking point in the Palestinian state negotiations.

Tonight, Thien will hear about the threats that Israel routinely faces. Check back regularly with the blog this week for more updates from Israel.

(Image: Photo of the Wailing Wall and the Golden Dome in Jerusalem. Photo by Ray Kelley.)

Justice Department Hosts Veterans’ Fraud Discussion

On Tuesday, leaders from the Department of Justice hosted a meeting with veterans’ leaders to discuss ongoing efforts to prevent fraud against service members, veterans and their loved ones. Your VFW was on hand alongside officials from the Justice Department, the Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and several other veterans’ organizations.

Maame Frimpong, deputy assistant attorney general of the Consumer Protection Branch led the discussion, which highlighted tools used across the Justice Department to collect consumer complaints, identify trends, alert law enforcement and track results.

Nick Mastrocinque, who manages FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network, took the opportunity to demonstrate how Sentinel allows consumers to confidentially file complaints in a comprehensive database through which more than 600 law enforcement agencies can access information, validate complaints and take action when necessary.

Melissa Halsey, CFPB’s consumer response specialist, also explained how the CFPB Office of Servicemember Affairs aggregates complaints and has the authority to take action against entities like mortgage lenders who fail to respond appropriately to consumer concerns.

Halsey, a former Army JAG officer, detailed how her office monitors complaints from the military and veterans community and how CFPB plans to further disaggregate data to identify trends unique to active duty, retirees, Reserve component, veterans, and dependents. According to Halsey, the most common issues facing the military community were mortgages and credit services.

CFPB also discussed resources available to the military and veterans’ community free of charge thought consumer.ftc.gov, which can help better inform consumers about potential fraud and offer tools to take action should they become victims. One such initiative is Military Fraud Prevention Day, which CFPB looks to host on July 17 in concert with the Department of Defense, FTC, and veterans’ organizations.

The veterans’ organizations said they were happy to see the increased scrutiny on companies that try to prey on the veterans’ community. Your VFW has watched this issue closely as issues of potential fraud within higher education, mortgage lending and credit reporting have become major issues for the veterans’ community during difficult economic times.

The VFW suggested that the Justice Department, in concert with VA and its other agency partners, host similar quarterly roundtables to keep the veterans’ community up to date on trends and potential solutions to ensure companies cannot take advantage of veterans. Check back regularly for updates.

WATCH: VFW Testifies Before House on VA Construction

Yesterday the VFW testified before the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, discussing shortcomings in VA’s construction planning and presenting potential solutions to persistent issues.

To learn more about the hearing, read each witnesses’ prepared remarks, and view an archived webcast, click here.

The hearing was hosted in response to a recent report from the Government Accountability Office, or GAO, that found cost overruns of major medical facility construction projects and delays averaging 35 months on critical infrastructure projects.

VFW National Legislative Director Ray Kelley outlined four specific shortcomings and potential solutions through which VA could deliver new medical facilities in a timely manner with more accurate cost projections.

First, Kelley said that VA’s electronic contract writing system, eCMS, was failing because contracting officers were failing to adopt its business practices. By failing to adapt to the new system, oversight on timely delivery and cost overruns is nearly impossible. He called on VA to ensure that contracting officers comply with the new system to consistent contracts that can be audited.

Next, Kelley criticized VA for its continued use of a form-fixed, or “design-bid-build” contracting process through which an architect designs a project, VA puts the project out to bid, and a new contractor builds. Under the form-fixed model, the architect does not play a role in the final construction of the facility, meaning change work orders can bring construction to a halt for up to three months as contractors try to reconcile changing demands on the fixed design. Kelley recommended that VA adopt an architect-led design-build process, which allows the architect to partner with the contractor throughout the process, putting an end to potential work stoppages.

Kelley also recommended that VA should change how it purchases medical equipment for new facilities. Currently, VA waits until project completion in an effort to secure the most up-to-date equipment before placing an order. This prevents the contractor from building to a specific standard, and often VA will have to readjust after project completion. Kelley recommended that VA should work with medical equipment planners like the military does to ensure timely, cost-effective builds and delivery of quality equipment.

Finally, Kelley recommended that VA institute a master plan for major medical construction projects, forecasting the specific need for veterans in certain areas. Kelley pointed to the recent issues VA faced when seeking to commission a new veterans’ facility on Nellis Air Force Base. VA’s goal was to simply expand the military hospital, but planners underestimate the need in the region. Once VA realized it would need a new facility to meet the demand, project delivery was delayed 74 months. Kelley said that developing a master plan based on demographic groups and medical advances in care delivery could ensure new VA projects can meet the anticipated need.

Throughout most of the hearing, the subcommittee chastised VA officials for many of the shortcomings outlined by GAO and VFW. Fortunately, VA officials acknowledged that many of the VFW’s recommendations should be investigated in an effort to reduce delivery delays, work stoppages and cost overruns.

Your VFW has long served as an expert voice on VA major construction projects, contributing each year on the subject to the Independent Budget. We will continue to work with the subcommittee and VA to ensure that major health care facilities can be delivered in a timely manner to meet the health care needs of our veterans.