[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 138 (Monday, September 30, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S12012]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      H.R. 3118, VETERANS' HEALTH CARE ELIGIBILITY REFORM ACT OF 
                                  1996

 Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise in strong support of H.R. 
3118, the Veterans' Health Care Eligibility Reform Act of 1996, as 
amended by the committee substitute. I am pleased to be an original 
cosponsor of the substitute amendment, which provides for greater 
uniformity and flexibility in veterans' health care eligibility, enacts 
significant improvements in health care programs, and authorizes major 
construction projects.
  I am especially pleased with sections of the bill that make 
improvements in the Readjustment Counseling Service [RCS] program. As 
my colleagues know, RCS operates over 200 community-based vet centers 
around the Nation, each of which provides a variety of services 
designed to help returned veterans adjust to civilian life. These 
include services relating to post-traumatic stress disorder, 
homelessness, disaster assistance, sexual trauma, alcohol and substance 
abuse, suicide prevention, the physically disabled, and minority 
veterans. To date, vet centers have successfully assisted well over 1 
million veterans.
  The RCS improvements in this bill include: making World War II and 
Korea theater veterans eligible for vet center services for the first 
time; directing VA to study the desirability of collocating vet centers 
with outpatient clinics; directing VA to report on the feasibility of 
providing limited, primary health care services at vet centers; making 
the Advisory Committee on Readjustment of Veterans a permanent, 
statutory entity; and clarifying and enhancing the status of the 
Director of RCS, which will guarantee a degree of administrative 
autonomy for the program.
  Mr. President, these provision are derived from S. 403, the 
Readjustment Counseling Service Amendments of 1995, which was 
cosponsored by Senators Daschle, Wellstone, Inouye, and Jeffords. S. 
403 in turn was derived from legislation I originally offered in the 
103d Congress which twice passed the Senate. I am disappointed that 
some of the provision of S. 403 were not included in this compromise 
measure. These include provisions that would have: made RCS a statutory 
agency within VA, required congressional notification of proposed 
changes to the administrative or organizational structure of RCS, 
required a specific RCS operating budget to be identified in VA's 
annual budget submission, and authorized vet centers to offer 
bereavement counseling to the families of service persons killed in 
service. Nevertheless, I am deeply appreciative that many of the goals 
of that legislation have been achieved in the pending measure.
  Mr. President, many people deserve to be recognized for their efforts 
in making possible the RCS provisions in this bill. First, I would like 
to thank Senators Simpson and Rockefeller and their respective staffs, 
notably Chris Yoder and Bill Brew, for putting together this 
compromise.
  Second, I wish to recognize Al Batres, Susan Angell, Stephen Molnar, 
and other RCS employees, whose testimony before the Senate Veterans' 
Affairs Committee in 1993 provided the original justification for my 
legislation. Steve Molnar, Director of the Honolulu Vet Center, has 
been, and continues to be, a source of inspiration for his untiring 
dedication to the Aloha State's veterans.
  Last, I wish to acknowledge the contributions of Gerry Kifer, a 
former Congressional Fellow with my office, whose insights and hard 
work led to the drafting of my original RCS legislation. Gerry provided 
the focus and energy that made today's legislation possible.
  Thank you, Mr. President. I hope my colleagues can support the RCS 
provisions contained in H.R. 3118, as amended. I urge swift enactment 
of the bill.

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