[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 9 (Thursday, January 24, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S286-S287]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. MURRAY (for herself, Mr. Begich, and Mr. Tester):
  S. 131. A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the 
reproductive assistance provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs 
to severely wounded, ill, or injured veterans and their spouses, and 
for other purposes; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, today I introduce the Women Veterans and 
Other Health Care Improvement Act of 2013. I am incredibly proud of the 
women and men who have served or are serving our Nation in uniform, and 
I am grateful for the sacrifices they make on our behalf. That is why 
we must do everything in our power to meet the needs of our veterans 
and servicemembers. As those needs change, we must ensure the care 
available keeps pace.
  That is why I introduced legislation, which was signed into law as 
part of the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 
2010, which helped to transform the way that the Department of Veterans 
Affairs addresses the needs of women veterans. Among other things, that 
law required the VA to provide neonatal care, train mental health 
professionals to provide mental health services for sexual trauma, and 
develop a child care pilot program. VA has an obligation to provide 
veterans with quality care and it is our responsibility to make sure 
that VA does so. The legislation I am introducing today builds upon 
that effort to make additional improvements to VA's services for women 
veterans and veterans with families.
  The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been characterized by 
increasing use of improvised explosive devices that leave 
servicemembers, both male and female, at increased risk for blast 
injuries including spinal cord injury and trauma to the reproductive 
and urinary systems. Defense Department data show that between 2003 and 
2012 nearly 2,000 women and men suffered these types of injuries while 
serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.
  These devastating and life-changing wounds can destroy the vision 
these men and women, and their spouses, had for the future. Having a 
family is one of the cornerstones of life that so many people look 
forward to and see as a fundamental part of their lives. To have dreams 
shattered because you were brave enough to put yourself in harm's way 
for your country is something we can never fully repay. But we must do 
everything we can.
  As our warriors return from the battlefield, the VA system must be 
equipped to help injured veterans step back into their lives as 
parents, spouses, and citizens. These veterans have served honorably 
and have made the ultimate sacrifice for our great Nation. They deserve 
the opportunity to pursue their goals and dreams, whether that includes 
pursuing higher education, finding gainful employment, purchasing their 
first house, or starting their own family. VA has many programs that 
help veterans pursue the educational, career, or homeownership dreams 
and goals that they deferred in service to this country, but it falls 
short when it comes to helping severely wounded veterans who want to 
start a family. These veterans often need far more advanced services in 
order to conceive a child.
  The Department of Defense and the Tricare program are already able to 
provide advanced fertility treatments, including assisted reproductive 
technology, to servicemembers with complex injuries. However, not all 
injured servicemembers are prepared to have a child at the time they 
are eligible for that coverage, and some are no longer eligible for 
Tricare by the time they are ready.
  VA's fertility counseling and treatment options are limited and do 
not meet the complex needs of severely injured veterans. I have heard 
from seriously wounded veterans whose injuries have made it impossible 
for them to conceive children naturally. While the details of these 
stories vary, the common thread that runs through them all is that 
these veterans were unable to obtain the type of assistance they need. 
Some have spent tens of thousands of dollars on advanced reproductive 
treatments in the private sector to get what they need to start a 
family. Others have watched their marriage collapse because the stress 
of infertility, in combination with the stresses of readjusting to life 
after severe injury, drove their relationship to a breaking point. Any 
servicemember who sustains this type of serious injury deserves much 
better. It is our responsibility to give VA the tools it needs to serve 
them, and the Women Veterans and Other Health Care Improvement Act is a 
start at doing that.
  This legislation also requires VA to build upon existing research 
framework to gain a better understanding of the long-term reproductive 
health care needs of veterans, from those who experience severe 
reproductive and urinary tract trauma to those who experience gender-
specific infections in the battlefield. An Army task force charged with 
looking at the needs of female servicemembers reported that women in 
the battlefield experience higher rates of urinary tract infections and 
other women's health difficulties.
  After a decade at war, many women servicemembers are still at 
increased risk for women's health problems due to deployment conditions 
and a lack of predeployment women's health information, compounded by 
privacy and safety concerns. Little is known about the impact that 
these issues and injuries have on the long-term health care needs of 
veterans. Additional research will provide critical information to help 
VA improve services for veterans.
  Caring for children is another frequent problem veterans encounter 
when trying to get health care. To address this, my legislation 
provides permanent authority for VA to provide child care to veterans 
going to medical centers or Vet Centers for health care. A pilot 
program examining these services is nearing completion and the results 
have been overwhelmingly positive. Those pilots have been very popular 
with veterans and VA employees, and have been far less expensive than 
originally estimated.
  This legislation is also fully paid for. VA would be empowered to ask 
contractors and large corporations to pay a relatively small fee in 
order to provide the care needed by some of our most seriously wounded 
veterans. This would not hurt small businesses or veteran owned small 
businesses, because the Secretary would be given the authority to 
exempt those small businesses to ensure their ability to compete is not 
jeopardized.
  Finally, I would point out that last Congress, in fact just a little 
more than a month ago, these provisions were unanimously approved by 
the Senate. I think the other Members of this body realized then that 
we must meet the changing needs of all our servicemembers and veterans, 
and that regardless of gender we must fulfill our obligation to do 
everything we can to make whole those who have been injured in service 
to this country.

[[Page S287]]

  I hope all of my colleagues will again support this legislation so we 
can provide care to meet these most serious needs.
                                 ______