[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 26 (Wednesday, February 12, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S929-S930]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HEALTH CARE FOR VETERANS

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Madam President, I rise today to talk about 
health care for veterans. This is a critical issue for many veterans 
who have been left behind and to the many who are not getting the care 
they need.
  First, I want to say how important it is that we have reached an 
agreement to restore the cut to pensions for working-age military 
retirees. This cut in the cost-of-living adjustment for military 
retirees should never have been included in the budget bill.
  Let's be clear. The bipartisan budget agreement was critical to New 
Mexico and our Nation because it rolled back damaging sequestration 
cuts--cuts that hurt our military and military families.
  Working-age military retirees should not have to bear the burden. 
Many of these men and women have given decades of service to our 
Nation. They

[[Page S930]]

were willing to give everything for us. They should get the benefits 
they have earned. From the beginning I have been working to restore 
this cut to their COLA benefits. I have been very happy we have a 
bipartisan agreement to move forward and ensure we keep our promise to 
them.
  I come to the floor today to also talk about rural veterans and a 
rural veterans improvement act. I was proud to introduce this bill with 
Senator Heller from Nevada earlier this week. When it comes to 
veterans' health care, we know there are challenges. We know we can do 
better, and we know we have to do better.
  Over 6 million veterans live in rural areas, including approximately 
one-third who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq. Three million of those 
rural veterans receive health care through the VA. Our veterans have 
fought halfway around the world for our freedom. We should go the extra 
mile for them.
  Senator Heller and I both come from rural western States. We know the 
difficulties veterans face when distances are too far and choices are 
too few. Our legislation would do four things: improve access to mental 
health services, expand transportation grants, hire and retain more 
medical professionals in rural areas, and give Congress and the VA 
tools to improve the quality of rural facilities.
  First, let me start with mental health care. This is crucial. 
Veterans are struggling when the help they need is not available or is 
very far away.
  One of my constituents lives in a rural area in northern New Mexico. 
He fought in Vietnam and was diagnosed with post-traumatic distress 
disorder. He required therapy 2 full days a week for 2 years. This 
vital care probably saved his life. The VA was there for him, and he is 
grateful, but he had to drive to Albuquerque, over 3 hours away, to get 
that essential care.
  The veterans in my State are clear: They need better access to 
treatment and more mental health options. One size does not fit all. 
Conventional therapy does not work for everyone. Veterans groups, such 
as the Wounded Warrior Project, have long supported alternative 
treatments and more holistic methods. Tribal governments are also 
working with the VA to use traditional Native American healing 
techniques, helping their veterans with PTSD and other diagnoses.
  These veterans are in pain. They are at increased risk of suicide. 
Help has to be there when they need it. Our bill would enable the VA to 
work with non-VA fee-for-service providers for veterans with service-
connected mental health issues when conventional treatment is not 
available or where alternative treatment is not an option.
  Second, even the best health care is useless if you cannot get to it. 
I have talked with many veterans in my State about this issue, and it 
is a big problem across New Mexico. Veterans in Carlsbad face a 6-hour 
drive to the VA hospital in Albuquerque, 300 miles away one way. One 
such veteran fought bravely in World War II. He is now in his eighties. 
He has to get up at 5 a.m. and make the trip to Albuquerque to see 
medical specialists. Sometimes he doesn't get home until midnight. 
Thanks to the great volunteer drivers at Southeast New Mexico Veterans 
Transportation Network, he is able to get there, but it is an 
exhausting day.
  Another of my constituents recently retired to Chama, NM, a rural 
community in the north. He and his wife built a home there, looking 
forward to retirement. The VA outreach clinic was nearby, but its 
contract was not renewed and it closed. His only option now is the VA 
clinic in Espanola, 80 miles each way through the southern Rockies. 
When winter storms come, as they do in northern New Mexico, he may not 
be able to get there at all.
  The VA offers transportation grants to help, but only for veterans in 
what they call highly rural areas with fewer than seven people per 
square mile, not for those in rural areas and small towns such as 
Chama, and the small towns in Nevada and so many other States. They 
need help too. The miles are just as long and the journey is just as 
hard.
  Our bill will help by expanding VA transportation grants to include 
rural communities, and it will not require matching funds for grants up 
to $100,000, making it easier for these communities to apply for 
assistance.
  Third, rural VA clinics, as their private counterparts, have trouble 
getting staff and keeping staff. This is not news to veterans who see 
constant turnover of doctors and nurses and other health care 
professionals or who have to travel long distances to see anyone at 
all.
  Our bill will establish a VA training program, working with 
university medical centers to train health care professionals, serving 
rural veterans at outpatient clinics. Those who complete the program 
and a 3-year assignment will receive a hiring preference for jobs with 
the Veterans Health Administration.
  We also propose a pilot program for housing incentives for health 
care professionals to work in rural VA facilities. We are proposing 
that the VA streamline the hiring of military medical professionals, 
transitioning to the civilian world into the VA system.
  Rural VA health centers have a big job. They do their best. We have 
to do all we can to help them to get and keep staff with incentives, 
training, and innovation. It is not easy, but it is essential.
  Fourth, we call for a full review of VA community-based outpatient 
clinics in rural and highly rural areas so we can prioritize expansions 
and improvements, making sure dollars are well spent and resources go 
as far as possible. We also call for a report to Congress on whether to 
add polytrauma centers in rural areas to help veterans from Iraq and 
Afghanistan recover from multiple major injuries such as serious burns 
and traumatic brain injuries.
  Every day, American servicemembers wake up far from home, and every 
day, they stand watch. They do the job they promised to do--and not 
only if it is easy or only if it is convenient. We owe them the same 
promise. Rural veterans should not be left behind. They should get the 
care they need and deserve.
  Again, I thank Senator Heller for working with me on this bill. He 
understands the problem. He is committed to finding solutions.
  Our bill is a step forward for the health and well-being of our 
veterans. This is about essential care, about access, about honoring 
our commitment to the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our 
community. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.
  Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Durbin be 
recognized to speak immediately after me.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. I see Senator Durbin on the floor.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.
  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I thank the Senator from New Mexico.
  (The remarks of Mr. Durbin pertaining to the introduction of S. 2023 
are printed in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills 
and Joint Resolutions.'')
  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I yield the floor and I suggest the 
absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BLUNT. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________