[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 29 (Thursday, February 15, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S2039]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ROCKEFELLER:
  S. 610. A bill to clarify the effective date of the modification of 
treatment for retirement annuity purposes of part-time service before 
April 7, 1986, of certain Department of Veterans Affairs health-care 
professionals; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, today, I am introducing a bill to 
change an unfair administrative decision that hurts aging, retired VA 
nurses. This bill is designed to correct a problem from legislation 
enacted in 2001, to help VA nurses' retirement. That legislation 
improved nurses' pensions, and Congress intended it to be retroactive. 
Unfortunately, administrative officials took a very narrow view of that 
law. Currently VA nurses, who retired between 1986 and 2002, do not get 
the full pension benefits as current retirees do.
  In the 1980s, VA aggressively recruited nurses to fill a huge need at 
VA medical centers by promising full retirement for part-time work. At 
the time, nurses joined the VA, and they believed in the promise.
  Sadly, the VA and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will not 
fulfill that promise. This legislation would explicitly require the 
Federal Government to honor its commitment to our retired VA nurses. 
Pension benefits are a vital promise. It is disturbing when we do not 
fulfill our obligations, and we simply must correct this error.
  Nurses play a critical role in our health care system, including the 
VA. Recruiting and retaining nurses is important, and this pension 
shortfall does not help. It is time to deliver full pension benefits to 
the retired nurses who cared for our veterans, but sadly retired in the 
wrong years, between 1986 and 2002.
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