[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 23, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E526-E527]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS NURSE APPRECIATION ACT OF 1999

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. STEVE C. LaTOURETTE

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 23, 1999

  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, imagine if the Congress singled out a 
mostly female workforce of 39,000 federal employees and, under 
suspension, passed legislation that:
  allowed the workers to go up to 5 years in a row without a single 
raise;
  allowed them to have their pay cut by as much as 8% in a single year;
  or provided for an annual increase as minuscule as one-tenth of one 
percent.
  Now imagine that a president not only signed this measure into law, 
but that it's been

[[Page E527]]

the law of the land for nearly a decade. Which group of federal workers 
has suffered this unthinkable injustice? None other than the 39,000 
nurses who work for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and have 
devoted their careers to caring for our nation's ailing veterans.
  In the 101st Congress, the House and Senate passed the Nurse Pay Act, 
well-intended legislation that was designed to ease a national nursing 
shortage by allowing VA medical center directors to forgo the annual 
general schedule (GS) pay schedule that applies to virtually all 
federal employees. In theory, this new law enabled directors to give 
nurses higher annual raises than other federal workers so they could 
recruit and retain a quality workforce. Unfortunately, as soon as the 
national nurse shortage eased, the intent of the law was manipulated 
and directors started using their discretion to deny raises, provide 
tiny raises, and even reduce pay rates.
  Today, I introduced the VA Nurse Appreciation Act of 1999, 
legislation that will rectify the pay injustice VA nurses have 
suffered. This legislation will ensure that Title 38 VA nurses receive 
the annual GS increase plus locality pay so they will be on equal 
footing with other federal workers in their area. It will also give the 
VA Secretary the discretion to increase pay, or delegate this authority 
to directors, if they have trouble recruiting or retaining quality 
nurses.
  In the last few years some congressional attention has been focused 
on the VA nurse problem, and the VA has quietly ``encouraged'' 
directors to give raises. Still, VA nurses have fared far worse than 
other federal workers. Overall, the average annual increase for VA 
nurses was 50% lower than the standard GS increase in 1996; 60% lower 
in 1997; 25% lower in 1998; and about 17% lower in 1999.
  Furthermore, abuse from the Nurse Pay Act is widespread and knows no 
geographic boundaries. From 1996-1999, nurses at 16 different VA 
medical centers had their pay rates reduced by as much as 8% while 
other federal workers received annual GS increases ranging from 2.4% to 
3.6%. In addition, from 1996-1999, NO raises were given to Grade I, II 
or III nurses (statistically 98% of the VA nurse workforce) at about 80 
VA medical centers around the country. Worse still, some nurses go 
several years without raises, such as in Long Beach, CA, where VA 
nurses received no raises in 1996, 1997, 1998 or 1999. At other 
centers, meanwhile, nurses have received embarrassingly low annual 
increases--often 1% or lower.
  Mr. Speaker, the Nurse Pay Act deserves credit for ending a nursing 
shortage and making salaries competitive. For example, in its first 
year nurse pay increased by at least 20% at 82% of all VA medical 
centers. Unfortunately, the well-intentioned measure's locality-based 
pay system eventually ended up punishing many of the 39,000 VA nurses.
  Our VA nurses deserve praise for standing by our nation's veterans. 
Many could have sought higher paying jobs in the private sector, jobs 
that offer annual increases and signing bonuses. Instead, most have 
chosen to stay with the VA because they care deeply for our ailing 
veterans and enjoy a sense of reward and patriotism from their 
specialized work. In fact, most VA nurses have devoted their entire 
careers to caring for our nation's veterans. The average VA nurse is a 
47-year-old female with 11 years tenure.
  As a Congress we strive to take care of our veterans. Therefore, we 
should feel embarrassed that we haven't taken better care of the 
dedicated nurses who care for our veterans. The Congress never meant to 
create a mechanism where a VA nurse could receive an annual raise worth 
92 cents a week before taxes or go several years without a raise. It's 
no way to treat those who care for our nation's veterans, and we have 
an obligation to fix it.
  Mr. Speaker, our VA nurses perform a vital service for our Nation's 
veterans with great care, professionalism, and compassion. We now have 
an opportunity to demonstrate to our nurses that they are truly 
appreciated by passing the VA Nurse Appreciation Act of 1999.

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