[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 155 (Saturday, September 27, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10017-S10018]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         VETERANS' MENTAL HEALTH CARE IMPROVEMENTS ACT OF 2008

  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask the Chair to lay before the Senate 
a message from the House with respect to S. 2162.
  The Presiding Officer laid before the Senate the following message 
from the House of Representatives:

  Resolved, That the bill from the Senate (S. 2162) entitled ``An Act 
to improve the treatment and services provided by the Department of 
Veterans Affairs to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and 
substance disorders, and for other purposes'', do pass with an 
amendment.

  Ms. LANDRIEU. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate concur in the 
amendment of the House to the Senate bill and the motion to reconsider 
be laid upon the table; further, that any statements be printed at the 
appropriate place in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. BURR. Mr. President, I rise today to speak briefly on legislation 
that will make a tremendous difference in the lives of those who have 
served our country in uniform. S. 2162, the Veterans' Mental Health and 
Other Care Improvements Act of 2008, reflects a compromise reached 
between the House and Senate on critical health care legislation. It is 
comprised of over 40 provisions, authored by both my House and Senate 
colleagues. The bill passed the House on Wednesday night and is now 
pending before the Senate awaiting final passage to be sent to the 
President.
  S. 2162 includes needed improvements to health care services provided 
to veterans who suffer from both mental illness and substance use 
disorder. It ensures that veterans seeking treatment for both 
conditions will receive quality, coordinated treatment. It would expand 
the availability of treatment the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA, 
offers for substance abuse, including detoxification and stabilization 
services. It will strengthen VA's reimbursement of community hospitals 
for emergency care that they provide to enrolled veterans; direct VA to 
develop a comprehensive policy on the management of pain experienced by 
veterans; direct the establishment of epilepsy centers of excellence; 
and make it easier for veterans with HIV/AIDS to be diagnosed and 
treated.
  Let me spend a few minutes discussing a few key provisions that I am 
particularly proud to support. First, legislation I authored is 
included in this bill that would authorize VA to make grants to private 
and public groups so that they may provide supportive services to keep 
low-income veterans, who are at risk of becoming homeless, in permanent 
housing. We have all heard the old saying that ``an ounce of prevention 
is worth a pound of cure.'' This legislation will help those on the 
verge of becoming homeless by

[[Page S10018]]

getting them help from the community. It is much easier to prevent 
homelessness than it is to bring someone out of it. The supportive 
services that will be provided under the legislation include greater 
access to housing assistance, physical and mental health services, 
health insurance, and vocational and financial counseling. North 
Carolina is home to over 770,000 veterans, and the VA estimates that 
over 40,000 North Carolina veterans live in poverty. We must do all we 
can to ensure that the men and women who've served our Nation in the 
military do not suffer the indignity of going to bed at night without a 
roof over their heads.
  Second, to help service-disabled veterans cope with the high cost of 
gasoline, S. 2162 would codify VA's new travel reimbursement rate for 
veterans who drive to their medical appointments at VA, and would index 
that rate so that future increases are automatic. The rate was 
increased in January from 11 cents to 28.5 cents a mile by VA Secretary 
James Peake. In addition, this bill will reverse the increase in the 
deductible that was made in January.
  Third, the legislation directs a 3-year pilot program on the 
provision of contract care to veterans residing in highly rural areas 
where no VA facilities exist. It makes no sense for veterans in rural 
areas to travel hundreds of miles for their care when they could easily 
seek care at their own local community health care facilities. Not only 
will they be more likely to seek needed preventive care, they'll also 
avoid the high cost of gas to get to a VA appointment. I am pleased 
about the potential for this pilot program and look forward to it being 
tested in rural States like North Carolina.
  And fourth, I am pleased the legislation includes an expansion of a 
concept that was tested and that proved successful at the Asheville VA 
Medical Center. The concept was to consolidate VA's capability to bill 
and collect from private insurance companies into one site rather than 
retain that capability at multiple sites. The employees at the 
Asheville VA Consolidated Patient Accounting Center have cultivated 
their expertise, and I am pleased to say that the pilot has been a 
success, generating millions of dollars in additional revenue. The 
legislation would expand on that concept by directing VA to open seven 
other centers around the country within the next 5 years. I am excited 
at the prospect of enhancing VA's revenue collection so that additional 
dollars can be invested in the health care delivery of our veterans.
  These are just a few of the good provisions of this legislation. For 
my colleagues interested in a fuller accounting of the bill's 
provisions I would refer them to the Joint Explanatory Statement that 
will be made part of the Record.
  Before I conclude, I would like to personally thank the chairman of 
the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Senator Akaka, for his 
cooperation with me on this bill. The chairman has no equal when it 
comes to handling negotiations with integrity and fairness. I would 
also like to thank the chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs, Chairman Bob Filner, and ranking member Steve Buyer. Finally, 
I would like to thank all of the staff members of the Veterans' 
Committees who worked on this bill, as well as the hard-working staff 
of the Senate and House Legislative Counsel's office who performed the 
technical drafting.
  This is a good bill. I am proud of the work the House and Senate have 
done on it. And I ask my colleagues for their support.

                          ____________________