VA NEWS
FLASH from Larry Scott at VA
Watchdog dot Org -- 07-21-2006 #4
HERE'S WHAT SENATOR PATTY MURRAY IS DOING FOR VETERANS -- HOW IS YOUR SENATOR DOING? -- Murray delivers for Washington State vets -- If your Senator or Representative doesn't deliver, maybe it's time for a change!
This is a simple story...actually three of them. It's about a Senator who doesn't accept "non-answers." Patty Murray (D-WA), one of my Senators, has been "all over" VA Secretary Jim Nicholson for answers to many questions. Now, she is getting the answers. This may seem like just a "Northwest" story...but, it's not. There is a lesson here for all veterans. Do your elected representatives really PUSH for veterans and get you the services you deserve? No? Maybe, it's time for a change where you live. Stories below from Senator Murray's office. --------------- VETERANS – Murray Gets Commitments from VA Secretary on Walla Walla and Learns New Details for Northwest Washington VA Clinic LISTEN to Senator Murray and Secretary Nicholson: http://murray.senate.gov/video/060720-vetqanda.mp3 GET Veterans Updates: http://murray.senate.gov/vetupdates (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Under questioning from U.S. Senator Patty Murray today, Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson revealed new details about his plans for new VA facilities in Walla Walla and Northwest Washington and committed to working with Senator Murray and the local community. "At today's hearing, the Secretary gave me his commitment that the Walla Walla community will have a direct and official role in determining the future of the Wainwright campus. I appreciate his commitment, and I'm going to hold him to it," Murray said. "I'm pleased that he's agreed to sit down with me so we can talk about what services will be provided at the new facility. I made it clear that mental healthcare, rehab and nursing home care are not adequately available in communities around Walla Walla, and we need to see how he'll provide that care to veterans under his proposal." Two weeks ago during a trip to Washington state, the Secretary announced the two new facilities, but a lack of details led Murray and many veterans to wonder just what the Secretary had promised. On July 13th, Murray wrote to Nicholson with a series of questions [http://murray.senate.gov/news.cfm?id=258664]. The Secretary's July 19th reply did not provide adequate answers. Today, Murray questioned Nicholson directly at a hearing of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. Walla Walla On Walla Walla, the Secretary committed to Senator Murray that he will follow the CARES process and submit his plan to Local Advisory Panel. This is the first time that the Secretary has provided details on how the process will move forward and specifically how the local community will be involved. Secretary Nicholson also committed to meeting with Senator Murray to discuss his plan for Walla Walla. Excerpts from today's hearing: MURRAY: I want to return to the question about your trip to Walla Walla because as you know, I have a community that cares deeply about this. They have followed the process very, very closely, and they want to have a real voice in the process. I specifically wanted to ask you about the plan to involve the local community. They have followed the CARES process very, very closely. They expect that the VA will follow it too and that means sending a plan to the local advisory committee for review. Can you commit to us that you will follow the CARES process and work with that Local Advisory Panel? NICHOLSON: Yes, I can Senator Murray. We have followed it, and we have been through the first two stages and our analysis [is] based on that. You know I make those decisions, and I made a decision on Walla Walla that we would keep that campus open. And that was the purpose of my visit there was to tell them -- the community, the patients and the staff -- all of whom had anxiety whether or not we were going to close this -- for the benefit of the others -- a very small VA hospital complex. And I made a decision to keep it open and that was the purpose of going there. Now we are going to go into the third stage, which is – being justifiable to keep it open -- what will it look like? And as you know when I went there I assured them that we were going to have a new ambulatory outpatient clinic facility there. We have other issues that we deal with and will be engaging the -- you know -- Local Advisory Panel on that such as long-term care, inpatient medicine, and inpatient mental. We have those capabilities there, but as you know, the populations are very small. For example the average daily census in the nursing home is 22, in the mental health it's 18, and [in] medicine it's 10. MURRAY: But you will follow the LAP process so the plan will go to the LAP committee and they will have their -- NICHOLSON: Yes. MURRAY: -- responsibility to have a response back? NICHOLSON: Yes we will. MURRAY: Because the questions that are raised are really -- I mean we have been dealing with this for a long time -- that there aren’t any facilities in the local communities to outsource this to. There’s a lot. Maybe more to the point, as you know, your announcement came as a surprise because many of us have been working very, very closely on this for a number of years now with the community and didn’t know that you coming out there. I’m glad that you have taken the first step to do that and now the second step to continue the LAP process and send the plan. But could I get your commitment to come in and talk with me, bring your staff, so that I can talk with you about the proposal and learn about where we're gonna go from here? NICHOLSON: Yes, indeed. Sure. We will do that. [Unofficial transcript prepared by Senator Murray's office. (7/20/06)] Northwest Washington VA Clinic Senator Murray also asked the Secretary to clarify what he said at a political event in Bellingham two weeks ago. News reports indicated that the Secretary announced a new clinic, but the Department of Veterans Affairs has been unable to provide Senator Murray with details over the past two weeks. Under Murray's questioning, the Secretary today confirmed that he has decided to build a new Community Based Outpatient Clinic in Northwest Washington. He said the location has not been selected, but that it will be somewhere between Seattle and the Canadian border. The Secretary said he hopes to pick a location before the end year and that it then usually takes 6 months for a clinic to open. He also committed to discussing the Northwest Washington clinic with the Senator at an upcoming meeting. Excerpts from today's hearing: MURRAY: I also wanted to ask you about Bellingham because when you were there, we were told that you committed to bringing a VA clinic to Northwest Washington, and that some kind of announcement would be coming within the week. I’ve been unable to get any clarification from your staff, and I wanted to find out from you, here, can you tell me, what you said in Bellingham about the new clinic so that we all are on the same page? NICHOLSON: I can. What I said to the veterans there with whom I met, that we’d made a decision in the CBOC business plan analysis that we would put a new Community-Based, Outpatient Clinic, CBOC, in Northwest Washington somewhere between Seattle and the Canadian border, but I did not specify where it would be located, and I’d be happy to…when we have our meeting to discuss that with you but we haven’t made a decision as to where to site it. MURRAY: But the decision has been made to site one there? Is there a time on that – a time commitment? NICHOLSON: Yeah, we hope to make the decision about where to put it before the end of the year and then, you know, usually takes us six months or so then to open one. [Unofficial transcript prepared by Senator Murray's office. (7/20/06)] In a separate move, Senator Murray also bolstered the case for the Northwest Washington clinic by inserting language into the FY 2007 Military Construction and VA Appropriations bill saying "[T]he Committee encourages the VA to move forward establishing clinics in Bellingham and Centralia, Washington; Alpena, Michigan; and rural Colorado." The bill, with Murray's language, was approved by the full Senate Appropriations Committee today. --------------- --------------- VETERANS: Murray Secures $38 million to Build New Veterans Nursing Home in Tacoma to Replace Unsafe, Earthquake-Damaged Facility \Murray delivers funding in Senate bill, but approval hurdle remains (Washington, D.C.) -- Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash) announced that she has secured $38 million to build a new Department of Veterans Affairs nursing home at the VA's American Lake facility in Tacoma. The new 83-bed facility would replace the existing nursing home, which was damaged in the 2001 Nisqually earthquake and which has a series of seismic, fire safety and life safety hazards. Currently, 70 veterans are housed in the facility and demand is expected to continue growing in the coming years. "Today veterans are living in an unsafe building that could literally collapse on them if there's an earthquake," Murray said. "Veterans deserve better and that's why I fought to provide the dollars to build a new nursing home and Alzheimer's ward in Tacoma." Murray included the funding in the FY 2007 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill, which passed the full Senate Appropriations Committee today. Murray is a member of the subcommittee that writes the bill. The funding would construct an 83-bed nursing home, Alzheimer's ward and dietetics kitchen. While Murray succeeded in securing the funding, the project must still be approved by Congress in a separate authorizing bill. Senator Larry Craig (R-Id), chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, has refused to authorize the major VA construction projects that the Bush Administration has requested for FY 2007. At a hearing on June 22nd, Murray fought for the Veterans Affairs Committee to approve American Lake and other projects, but her efforts were defeated on a party-line vote. On Tuesday, July 18th, Murray again spoke out on the need for approval at a meeting of Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs. "Without these funds, veterans in this nursing care facility will remain in a dangerous and life-threatening situation where one small earthquake could cause a dire situation," Murray told subcommittee members Tuesday. The VA CARES Commission has identified seismically damaged building as a top priority for replacement. The Bush Administration has also called the project a high priority. According to the President's budget request, "Building 2 and 3 at American Lake are at an exceptionally high risk from seismic events and have significant deficiencies in meeting current VA criteria and life safety codes. Patient and staff safety is at increased risk. . . . American Lake Division has been identified as 3rd on the list of medical centers with the most Exceptionally High Risk Building and Building 2 ranks as number 29 nationally." [Source: Department of Veterans Affairs, FY 2007 Budget Submission, February 2006, Volume 3, page 2-35] --------------- --------------- VETERANS: Murray Applauds 12 Percent Increase in Veterans Healthcare, But Is Troubled that Northwest Veterans Still Face Long Waiting Lists (Washington, D.C.) – Today U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash) helped pass an appropriations bill for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that increases healthcare funding by 12 percent over last year. The Senate bill rejects new fees and co-payments that the Bush Administration had sought to impose on some veterans. "I'm pleased that we were able to increase veterans funding without imposing new fees on America's veterans," Murray said. "But I'm very troubled that veterans in my region continue to face some of the longest delays for the medical care they have earned." The funding, contained in the FY 2007 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill, passed the full Senate Appropriations Committee today and next needs to be approved on the Senate floor. The bill provides $77.9 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, an increase of $6.45 billion over last year. · For VA Medical Services, the bill provides $28.69 billion ($3.06 billion more than last year – a 12 percent increase). · For VA Medical Facilities, it provides $3.57 billion ($271.3 more than last year). · For Medical and Prosthetic Research, it provides $412 million (same as last year and $13 million over the President's request). Within the bill, Murray also secured $38 million to build a new VA nursing home in Tacoma and $390 million for Washington's military bases. In February, President Bush proposed a VA budget that increased funding by imposing new fees and co-payments on veterans. This year, as in years past, Murray helped block those fees from being imposed. Murray continued to express concern that Northwest veterans face some of the longest delays in the nation for VA care. According the VA's latest quarterly report to Congress, VISN 20 (which includes veterans in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska) is the worst of the 21 VISNs when it comes to providing primary and specialty care within 30 days of the desired date. ---------------
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