[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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