[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.
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