[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 52 (Thursday, May 4, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4075-S4076]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. AKAKA:
  S. 2753. A bill to require a program to improve the provision of 
caregiver assistance services for veterans; to the Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs.
  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise proudly today to introduce 
legislation that would provide assistance to those who care for our 
Nation's veterans. These caregivers provide a great service to our 
country and play a vital role in providing non-institutional long-term 
health care for veterans.
  There is deep concern regarding the anticipated number of veterans 
that will need long-term care by the year 2010. In 2005, there were 
almost one million veterans age 85 and over, and by 2010, it is 
anticipated that the number of veterans in this age category will grow 
to 1.3 million. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will be faced 
with a crisis related to the demand for care of this population, and we 
must help VA prepare for this situation.
  VA has been disturbingly inactive in instituting the long-term care 
provisions of the 1999 Millennium Health Care Act. The General 
Accounting Office has been the most critical, citing major 
inconsistencies across the VA system in the implementation of non-
institutional care. During the Committee on Veterans' Affairs' 
oversight work in Hawaii, we found that the Kauai clinic lacked a home 
care specialist and the Maui clinic was arbitrarily limiting non-
institutional care. Caregivers are crucial in bridging these gaps in 
non-institutional long-term care services.
  With more veterans returning from combat with severely debilitating 
injuries, young spouses and parents have been forced to take on an 
unexpected role as caregivers. Many have interrupted their own careers 
to dedicate time and attention to the care and rehabilitation of loved 
ones. These caregivers do not plan for this to happen and are not 
prepared mentally or financially for their new role. Therefore, we must 
protect, educate, and lend a helping hand to the caregivers who take on 
the responsibility and costly burden of caring for veterans, both young 
and old.
  This legislation serves to provide comprehensive assistance to these 
caregivers. By providing such services as respite care, caregivers can 
have time to run errands and attend to their own health concerns. They 
can rest easier knowing that there is someone there to care for their 
disabled veteran while they are out. Another service provided through 
this legislation is adult-day care for veterans. This serves a dual 
purpose in that it provides short-term supervision and also gives 
veterans a place to go for some camaraderie.
  The last years of a veteran's life can be difficult for both the 
veteran and for the caregiver. This legislation would also provide 
hospice services so that this period is one of peace and comfort.
  Other services that would support caregivers under this legislation 
include education, training, transportation services, readjustment 
services, rehabilitation services, home care services, and any other 
new and innovative modalities of non-institutional long-term care.
  I cannot try to quantify the invaluable service that caregivers 
provide.

[[Page S4076]]

What can be done is to make funds available to carry out programs to 
assist them. The legislation authorizes $10 million to be allocated to 
individual medical facilities within VA, especially to those in rural 
areas without a long-term care facility, based upon the proposals 
submitted by the facilities. In efforts to evaluate the improvements 
made in caregiver assistance services, a report shall be submitted to 
Congress by the Secretary no later than a year after enactment of this 
bill. The report should include information on the allocation of funds 
to facilities and a description of the improvements made with the 
funds.
  Let us meet these caregivers halfway by giving them the assistance 
they need to care for the veterans that depend on them. I ask my 
colleagues to join me in supporting this effort.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 2753

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. IMPROVEMENT OF SERVICES FOR CAREGIVERS OF 
                   VETERANS.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
     carry out a program to expand and improve the services that 
     assist caregivers of veterans, including veterans of the 
     Global War on Terrorism.
       (b) Caregiver Assistance Services.--For purposes of this 
     section, the term ``caregiver assistance services'' includes 
     the following:
       (1) Adult-day health care services.
       (2) Coordination of services needed by veterans, including 
     services for readjustment and rehabilitation.
       (3) Transportation services.
       (4) Caregiver support services, including education, 
     training, and certification of family members in caregiver 
     activities.
       (5) Home care services.
       (6) Respite care.
       (7) Hospice services.
       (8) Any modalities of non-institutional long-term care.
       (c) Funding.--
       (1) Source of funds.--In carrying out the program required 
     by subsection (a), the Secretary shall identify, from funds 
     available to the Department of Veterans Affairs for medical 
     care, an amount not less than $10,000,000 to be available to 
     carry out the program and to be allocated to facilities of 
     the Department pursuant to subsection (d).
       (2) Minimum allocation of funds.--In identifying available 
     amounts pursuant to paragraph (1), the Secretary shall ensure 
     that, after the allocation of funds under subsection (d), the 
     total expenditure for programs in support of caregiver 
     assistance services for veterans is not less than $10,000,000 
     in excess of the baseline amount.
       (3) Baseline amount.--For purposes of paragraph (2), the 
     baseline amount is the amount of the total expenditures on 
     programs in support of caregiver assistance services for 
     veterans for the most recent fiscal year for which final 
     expenditure amounts are known, adjusted to reflect any 
     subsequent increase in applicable costs to support such 
     services through the Veterans Health Administration.
       (d) Allocation of Funds to Facilities.--The Secretary shall 
     allocate funds identified pursuant to subsection (c)(1) to 
     individual medical facilities of the Department in such 
     amounts as the Secretary determines appropriate based upon 
     proposals submitted by such facilities for the use of such 
     funds for improvements to the support of the provision of 
     caregiver assistance services for veterans. Special 
     consideration should be given to rural facilities, including 
     those without a long-term care facility of the Department.
       (e) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the 
     Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the 
     Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives a report on the implementation of this 
     section. The report shall include information on the 
     allocation of funds to facilities of the Department under 
     subsection (d) and a description of the improvements made 
     with funds so allocated to the support of the provision of 
     caregiver assistance services for veterans.

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