[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 116 (Thursday, August 1, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1429]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     VETERANS' HEALTH CARE ELIGIBILITY REFORM ACT OF 1996

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. JAMES B. LONGLEY, JR.

                                of maine

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 30, 1996

  Mr. LONGLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3118, the 
Veterans Health Care Eligibility Reform Act.
  It has become extremely clear that the question of health care 
eligibility has become extremely clouded as the result of a very 
complex and difficult to understand process of determining eligibility. 
In fact, as a country, we probably spend more time and money 
determining who is eligible, as compared to providing needed care. This 
must change.
  I think that H.R. 3118 is a giant first step in the direction of 
positive changes in the provision of Veterans Administration health 
care.
  At the same time, I want to commend this committee and Chairman Stump 
for the outstanding work on behalf of the Nation's veterans. I hope 
that the committee will continue to be vigilant and aggressive in 
examining a system of veterans health care in order to ensure that it 
continues to provide quality care.
  This would include, I hope, careful examination of the use of funds 
by the Veterans Administration. In the last two appropriations bills, 
this Congress has made careful provisions to increase funding for the 
provision of VA medical care. In the fiscal year 1997 budget, we 
increased funding by $504 million, from $16.6 billion to over $17 
billion. In fiscal year 1996, the previous year, we increased funding 
an additional $400 million.
  Sadly, however, although we have increased annual funding by almost 
$1 billion in the last 2 years, it seems that those additional funds 
have not made their way to the grass roots. It has certainly not made 
it to the Veterans Hospital in my district located in Togus, ME. In 
fact, if anything, as we have increased funding from Washington, the 
limitations on services, including the discussion of cutbacks on 
existing services has continued unabated.
  It is not uncommon, for instance, to find a Maine veteran being 
forced to travel to a VA hospital in the Boston area and admit him or 
herself as an inpatient. He or she could remain in Boston for days, if 
not weeks, to receive needed medical treatment that could have been 
provided through a cooperative arrangement at a significantly lower 
cost with a Maine hospital.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3118 is a significant first step in the direction 
of improving and reforming the delivery of medical care to our Nation's 
veterans. I hope that, in the course of implementing H.R. 3118, we will 
see the committee continue to take a vigilant stance in overseeing the 
administration of the VA system and that it will take whatever action 
is necessary in order to protect provision of care at existing VA 
hospitals, such as that hospital located in Togus, ME. Our Nation's 
veterans, Maine veterans, deserve no less.

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