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Testimony of The
Honorable Lois Capps Committee
on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee
on Health September
6, 2001
I am grateful to Chairman Moran, Ranking Member Filner, and the
Subcommittee for the opportunity to comment on two very important
bills before you today: The
Veterans Emergency Telephone Act and The Disabled Veterans Service Dog
and Health Care Improvement Act.
As the author of the first bill and an original co-sponsor in
the last Congress for a key provision in the second bill, I am pleased
the Subcommittee is considering these important pro-vet measures.
H.R. 1435, The Veterans Emergency Telephone Service Act, sets
up a toll free national veterans’ hotline service that can be
accessed 24-hours, 7 days a week. This combination “911-411”
number for veterans would provide a one-stop, toll free number that
veterans can call at any time of day or night for assistance.
The bill is based on a similar, very successful program that is
operated on a smaller scale by the National Veterans Foundation in Los
Angeles. My bill
currently has 71 cosponsors. In
the past, toll free information lines for vets have typically dumped
them into a frustrating automated system of repeated transfers and
long waiting periods. Despite
the wide array of services offered by the Department of Veterans
Affairs, many veterans assistance programs are unknown to the
constituency they intend to support. I would like
to commend the full Committee and the Subcommittee on Benefits, for
their leadership in the recent establishment of a pilot program to
expand access to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ benefits
counselors. As part of
H.R. 2540, the VA will operate its information lines no less than 12
hours a day, Monday through Friday and no less than six hours on
Saturday. This expansion
of access will be an important step forward in the effort to provide
the quality and breadth of service that we owe to our veterans.
However, I submit that we can and should go farther. Lately, I
have heard that the VA has made improvements in the operation of their
information lines. If
that is the case, and I hope it is, I commend the VA for their
progress. However,
recently one of my staff called the information line operated by the
VA and was forced to wait on hold for 31 minutes. Even if the
information lines have improved, their availability and scope
continues to be limited by design.
And crisis intervention is not a service that is currently
provided to veterans over the information line.
Sadly, there is a
critical need for veterans and their loved ones to have 24-hour/ 7 day
a week access to information and crisis intervention services.
Should this bill become law, veterans in need of assistance
would be able to call from anywhere in the country, free of charge, to
receive immediate help or referral to services close to their homes. This
service would provide immediate and constant access to counseling and
crisis intervention services, including suicide prevention, substance
abuse rehabilitation programs, and mental health services.
It would provide vital information to destitute veterans in
need of emergency food and shelter services.
Some calls may be so desperate, immediate crisis intervention
is essential to save a life. This
hotline would also provide information on medical treatment,
employment training and opportunities, and small business assistance
programs.
For routine inquiries that are normally and capably handled by
existing toll-free numbers at the VA, the “911-411” operators may
simply give general guidance and refer the caller to the appropriate
VA resource.
The “911-411” hotline has a bargain basement cost when
compared to its far-reaching and much-needed benefits.
I have seen a business plan that shows costs of only $2 million
per year for a hotline that would be available to veterans at any time
of the day or night in all 50 states. This is a small price to pay for
the critical, urgent assistance that it provides for our veterans.
By virtue of their service and sacrifice on behalf of this
nation, our veterans deserve the very best support services we can
provide them, especially in their moments of greatest need.
Sadly, such moments don’t always occur during business hours,
six days a week.
Another important bill before you today is H.R. 2792, the
Disabled Veterans Service Dog and Health Care Improvement Act of 2001.
As you know, language very similar to Section 5 of this bill
was passed by this Committee and the House last year as part of H.R.
5109, Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel Act of
2000. I would like to
commend the Subcommittee for its bipartisan support of this important
legislation last year. I
would also like to thank Dr. Weldon for his outstanding ongoing
leadership on this issue. It
was gratifying to see the House pass this bill unanimously although I
was disappointed that it was not successful in the Senate.
The need for this provision is as great today as it was last
year. Section 5 would
create a pilot program in not more than four remote geographic areas
to allow veterans to receive inpatient care at local hospitals.
It would allow the Veterans Administration to contract with
local non-VA medical facilities to care for veterans who live a
significant distance from a VA hospital.
Today, the veterans in my district on the central coast of
California must drive to Los Angeles or to Fresno for hospital care
under the VA. That means
a trip of 2 ˝ to 5 hours to check into a hospital.
This puts an unnecessary burden on people who served this
nation so bravely. If a
veteran is so sick that he or she needs inpatient hospital care, they
should not be forced to drive hundreds of miles for treatment.
This is very inconvenient, and it means that veterans are often
in hospitals far away from family and friends.
For many, the hardship is enough to make the hospitals
inaccessible for all practical purposes.
This provision gives veterans more health care choices and
provides more viable options for their care.
This is a pilot project, the results of which should be
carefully studied. It is
not intended to undermine the Veterans’ Administration specialized
hospital care in any way. Rather,
it would augment it. I
sincerely hope the Subcommittee will approve this measure as
expeditiously as possible. Again, I thank the Subcommittee for this opportunity to testify on these two important issues. Back to Witness List |