[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 226 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 226

  Expressing the sense of Congress concerning funding for health care 
                         services for veterans.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 10, 1999

 Mr. Rothman submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of Congress concerning funding for health care 
                         services for veterans.

Whereas veterans throughout the United States in the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs health care priority group designated as ``priority group 7'' 
        have received notices from the Department of Veterans Affairs that, due 
        to funding shortfalls, the Veterans Health Administration may be unable 
        to provide those veterans with health care services in the future;
Whereas the income threshold for designation as a priority group 7 veteran (that 
        is, having an annual income of over $22,351 for a single person and 
        assets of over $50,000) is not so high that an individual in that 
        priority group could be considered to be otherwise capable of paying the 
        full cost of needed health care services;
Whereas the Nation must remain committed to providing first-rate health care 
        services to veterans who joined the Armed Forces with the understanding 
        that their future health needs would be met by a grateful Nation;
Whereas leaders of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, American 
        Legion, AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of 
        America, Jewish War Veterans of America, Catholic War Veterans, and 
        other distinguished veterans service organizations have expressed deep 
        concern over the serious funding shortages that are compromising the 
        level and quality of health care being delivered to the Nation's 
        veterans by the Veterans Health Administration;
Whereas veterans have held over 130 rallies across the United States to 
        demonstrate their concern in the deterioration of the Veterans Health 
        Administration's health care system;
Whereas the level of funding for the health care system of the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs has been inadequate to meet the pressing medical needs 
        of America's veterans; and
Whereas, as one example of the funding shortfalls affecting the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs health care system, the Veterans Integrated Service 
        Network Number 3 (VISN3), which serves veterans in New Jersey and New 
        York, experienced a budget shortfall of $61,000,000 for fiscal year 1999 
        alone: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This resolution may be cited as the ``Veterans Health Fairness 
Resolution''.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL STATEMENTS ON HEALTH CARE SERVICES FOR VETERANS.

    Congress--
            (1) affirms its fundamental belief that all veterans 
        enrolled in the national enrollment system of the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs, including those in the priority group 
        designated as ``priority group 7'', have earned the right to 
        secure, quality health care services from the Veterans Health 
        Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs; and
            (2) urges the Secretary of Veterans Affairs not to deny 
        health care services to veterans in the priority group 
        designated as ``priority group 7'' and asserts that veterans in 
        that priority group should have their enrollment renewed every 
        year.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS CONCERNING PRESIDENT'S BUDGET FOR VA HEALTH 
              CARE.

    (a) It is the sense of Congress that the President's budget for VA 
health care for fiscal year 2001 and fiscal years thereafter should 
include the amounts needed to ensure that all veterans, including 
veterans in priority group 7, are able to benefit from the broad array 
of VA health care services, including preventive care, primary care, 
and inpatient and outpatient services.
    (b) In subsection (a), the term ``VA health care'' means health 
care delivered by the Veterans Health Administration of the Department 
of Veterans Affairs.
                                 <all>