[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 84 (Wednesday, May 21, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H4434]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
VETERANS PAIN CARE ACT
(Mr. WALZ of Minnesota asked and was given permission to address the
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. WALZ of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, today I rise because I am
introducing the Veterans Pain Care Act of 2008. This bill will require
the Secretary of the VA to develop and implement a comprehensive policy
on pain management for veterans enrolled in the VA health care system
and to carry out a program of research, training and education on acute
and chronic pain.
Modern warfare leads to serious, but survivable, injuries. While
advances in medical technology have saved lives, many of our wounded
soldiers have been afflicted by acute and chronic pain. Pain is a
leading cause of disability among veterans. As a result, providing
adequate pain management is a crucial component to improving veterans'
welfare.
The Department of Veteran Affairs has pain care programs, but a
comprehensive plan isn't consistently enforced across the system. My
legislation will give the VA the necessary tools to serve the needs of
our veterans.
This bill has the support of a wide range of organizations. I would
like to enter into the Record a letter of support from 50 organizations
in the Pain Care Coalition.
The Senate companion to this bill has the support of both the
chairman and the ranking member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs
Committee. I am hopeful that this will garner bipartisan support for
this legislation in the House and be passed to support our veterans.
Pain Care Coalition,
Washington, DC, May 15, 2008.
Re Veterans Pain Care Act of 2008
Hon. Tim Walz,
House of Representatives, Longworth House Office building,
Washington, DC.
Dear Congressman Walz: The Pain Care Coalition applauds
your leadership in championing the Veterans Pain Care Act. We
enthusiastically support the measure, and pledge the
assistance of our organizations as you move the bill forward
in the House. As your bill mirrors bi-partisan legislation
under consideration in the Senate, and complements a DoD pain
care initiative included in the House FY 2009 Defense
Authorization bill, we are optimistic that it will receive
wide support.
Pain is a huge public health problem for veterans.
Virtually every service member injured in current and past
conflicts experienced acute pain at the time of injury. Many
others suffered acute pain in connection with non-combat
related injury or disease. For too many, the acute pain
progresses to a chronic pain condition that threatens the
veteran's basic quality of life. These same chronic pain
conditions can be cost ``drivers'' in VA health and
disability systems. With prompt and aggressive treatment,
much acute pain can be alleviated, and much chronic pain
avoided or managed.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is doing much to provide
good pain care and advance important pain research, but much,
much more remains to be done. Your bill will make pain care a
national priority within the VA health care programs.
Millions of veterans who have served our country deserve no
less.
Respectfully submitted,
Richard Rosenquist,
Chair.
____
Consensus Statement Supporting the Congressional Military Pain Bill and
the Veterans Pain Bill
Acute and chronic pain afflicts both military personnel and
veterans in proportions far exceeding the general population.
Pain is the leading cause of disability among veterans.
Characteristics of modern warfare produce serious, but
survivable, injuries to the central and peripheral nervous
systems that inflict terrible acute pain and lead to chronic
pain in many cases. Providing adequate pain management is a
crucial component to improving military and veteran health
care. A growing number of wounded veterans are experiencing
long-term problems with chronic pain; left untreated, pain
can have life-long consequences.
As members of organizations dedicated to improving the
lives of veterans and military personnel and organizations
dedicated to improving the quality of pain management, the
undersigned organizations support and urge passage of
legislation to improve pain care for active duty military and
veterans. In particular we support legislation which:
Requires Uniformed Service Secretaries to implement a
comprehensive pain care initiative to require prompt
assessment and reassessment of pain in all health setting;
emphasizes assessment, diagnosis, treatment & management of
pain as an integral part of military health care; and deploys
acute pain services to all combat support hospitals and,
where feasible, on the battlefield.
Requires Tricare plans to provide pain care services that
ensure appropriate assessment, diagnosis, treatment and
management of acute and chronic pain and provide
comprehensive interdisciplinary services for hard to treat
chronic pain patients.
Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to implement in
VA health facilities and programs a pain care initiative
comparable to that required for DOD programs.
Requires the VA to increase its research effort in the
areas of acute and chronic pain, including identifying
priority research areas most relevant to veterans.
Requires the VA to emphasize education and training of VA
personnel in pain management.
Establishes cooperative research center for acute and
chronic pain, including one with a special focus on central
and peripheral nervous system damage.
Directs the GAO to evaluate the consistency of military and
veteran pain care services across different programs,
facilities, demographic groups and geographic areas; and
Assesses the adequacy and appropriateness of pain care
services based on performance measures previously adopted by
the VA.
Signed:
Air Compassion for Veterans.
Alliance of State Pain Initiatives.
Alpharma Pharmaceuticals LLC.
American Academy of Pain Medicine.
American Association of Diabetes Educators.
American Cancer Society.
American RSDHope.
Ava Mina Pain Clinic.
The American Chronic Pain Association.
American Headache Society.
American Pain Foundation.
American Pain Society.
American Pharmacists Association.
American Society of Anesthesiologists.
American Society for Pain Management Nursing.
Amputee Coalition of America.
AVANCEN LLC.
Boston Scientific.
Brave New Foundation.
Cause.
Cephalon, Inc.
Comfort Care Unlimited.
Coming Home Project.
Endo Pharmaceuticals.
Florida Pain Initiative.
HealthSouth Valley of the Sun Rehabilitation Hospital.
Homes for Our Troops.
Jacob's Light Foundation, Inc.
Indiana Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.
Indiana Pain Initiative.
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
Medtronic, Inc.
Michigan Cancer Pain Initiative.
Missouri Pain Initiative.
Montana Cancer Control Coalition.
National Fibromyalgia Research Association.
National Pain Foundation.
National Veterans Legal Services Program.
National Vulvodynia Association.
One Freedom, Inc.
Operation Helmet.
Operation Home Front.
Pain Care Coalition.
Pain Connection.
Pain Treatment Topics.
P.A.N.D.O.R.A.
Project Return to Work, Inc.
Purdue Pharma L.P.
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association.
South Dakota Injured Workers Coalition.
St. Jude Medical's Neuromodulation Division Advanced
Neuromodulation Systems.
Swords to Plowshares.
The Pathway Home (Veterans Home of California).
There is Hope . . . for Chronic Pain.
Veterans for America.
Washington--Alaska Pain Initiative.
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