[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 31 (Thursday, March 11, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E343-E344]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ON BEHALF OF VETERANS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE McINTYRE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 10, 2004

  Mr. McINTYRE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the 77,015 
veterans in my district. These selfless warriors have dedicated their 
lives to fighting for this great country and our freedoms, and it is 
disheartening that many of them do not have access to adequate and 
affordable health care. Long ago, we made a promise to our veterans and 
military retirees that we would provide quality health care in return 
for their service. Unfortunately, over time, this promise has been 
broken, and too often today quality veterans' facilities are too far 
away to be truly accessible to rural veterans. How can we continue to 
sit back and ignore our veterans' requests for better access to health 
care? Don't we owe it to them to ensure that they are properly cared 
for? It is time that we take on a new attitude and put forth real 
actions that will help us to make achievements for veterans for years 
to come.
  First, it's about attitude--the attitude to change the way we provide 
health care to our veterans today. In my district in rural southeastern 
North Carolina, there has been enormous growth within the veteran 
population. In addition to being the home of or near to important 
military installations, including Fort Bragg, Pope Air Force Base, 
Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point, and three Coast Guard stations, 
the area is widely known for its pristine beaches and recreational 
activities. These amenities make the area a popular destination for 
retirement, and I am pleased that so many of our courageous service men 
and women either move to or remain in the area after their retirement. 
However, with this increase in the veterans' population comes the 
important issue of how best to serve our veterans' health care needs.
  Although Southeastern North Carolina is represented by two 
commendable VA facilities, access to care remains limited. Veterans in 
the town of Supply must drive over two hours to be seen at the 
Fayetteville VA Medical Center. And those who need more specialized 
care must drive an additional two hours to the Durham VA Medical 
Center. One trip alone could equal eight hours of driving! In addition, 
because both the Fayetteville VA

[[Page E344]]

Medical Center and the Wilmington VA Clinic are operating over their 
budgeted capacity, there is concern that if these facilities are not 
expanded, they will face difficulties taking new patients. We need to 
develop a direct and positive attitude to change this system properly 
and bring our veterans in closer contact with their health care 
providers!

  Secondly, we must put forth actions that will ensure that our rural 
veterans receive the proper care that they deserve. That is why I am 
cosponsoring legislation that would set aside a percentage of funds 
appropriated to the VA medical care funds to be used for highly rural 
or geographically-remote veterans. The Rural Veterans Access to Care 
Act would also encourage the Secretary of the VA to use his contract 
authority to assist highly rural veterans in obtaining health care 
services closer to home.
  In my district, most of the veterans fought in World War II, Korea, 
Vietnam and the Persian Gulf, and they are suffering medical conditions 
that make traveling any distance extremely difficult, if not 
impossible. These veterans also have to travel in inclement weather to 
receive basic health care from the VA. In addition, many times they 
have to reschedule their appointments, which could mean waiting over a 
month for a simple test. It is disgraceful that veterans have to travel 
hundreds of miles to get their blood pressure checked or to have 
routine blood tests done.
  Mr. Speaker, I stand committed to improving health care benefits for 
our veterans--not only for those who have duly served our country, but 
also for those valiant soldiers who will become the veterans of 
tomorrow. That's why I am also cosponsoring the Keep Our Promise to 
America's Military Retirees Act, which would take an additional step 
toward restoring adequate health care to military retirees by allowing 
them to participate in the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program. We 
must continue to support our promise so that all veterans will receive 
the health care benefits that they deserve.
  In addition, I am supporting legislation, the Assured Funding for 
Veterans Health Care Act, which would provide for a guaranteed adequate 
level of funding for veterans health care. Unfortunately, the money 
that is set aside for VA hospitals and clinics falls under 
discretionary spending, meaning that there is no guarantee that it will 
be increased as the demand grows. Without this funding, rural veterans 
will continue to be served in outdated or understaffed facilities--or 
continue to receive inadequate health care due to a lack of health care 
services in their area.
  Finally, it's about achievement! Let us make the commitment to 
achieve new incentives for our veterans. As I talk to veterans in my 
district, I become increasingly concerned that their needs are simply 
not being met. As you know, the Department of Veterans Affairs is 
directing an initiative--the Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced 
Services (CARES)--to redirect resources within the department and 
address the changing needs of veterans. Recently, the CARES Commission 
released its report, which the Secretary is in the process of 
reviewing. While I am pleased that the report effectively recognized 
access and capacity concerns, I am hopeful that the VA Secretary's 
final report will provide additional incentives for our veterans.
  Specifically, I urge the Secretary to provide not only an expansion 
of the Fayetteville VA Medical Center and the expansion of the 
Wilmington VA Clinic to a satellite outpatient clinic, but also two 
community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) for my district--one in 
Supply (Brunswick County) and one in Lumberton (Robeson County). If we 
could achieve these vital expansions and new facilities, access to care 
would no longer be a problem and veterans would not be forced to drive 
long distances to receive vital health care services. This would be a 
real achievement for the veterans in my district, and I am confident 
that these initiatives will provide the services that they are lacking 
now.
  Mr. Speaker, I think we can all agree that timely access to health 
care is an important national priority to provide veterans the benefits 
they earned in military service to our country. As we find ourselves in 
times that threaten our very freedom, our nation must never forget 
those who have fought so hard to ensure that our freedom endures. 
Therefore, I say to my colleagues, let us join together today with a 
new and positive attitude towards health care for veterans, and let us 
work together to put forth the necessary actions to help us to achieve 
our goal! Our veterans are counting on us! And may God's blessings be 
with you!

                          ____________________