[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 119 (Monday, July 16, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H6213-H6215]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
VETERANS PROVIDING HEALTHCARE TRANSITION IMPROVEMENT ACT
Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (S. 899) to amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that the
requirements that new Federal employees who are veterans with service-
connected disabilities are provided leave for purposes of undergoing
medical treatment for such disabilities apply to certain employees of
the Veterans Health Administration, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 899
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Providing
Healthcare Transition Improvement Act''.
SEC. 2. DISABLED VETERAN LEAVE FOR HEALTH-CARE PROFESSIONALS
IN VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION.
(a) In General.--Section 6329(d)(1) of title 5, United
States Code, is amended to read as follows:
``(1) the term `employee' has the meaning given such term
in section 2105, and includes--
``(A) an officer or employee of the United States Postal
Service or the Postal Regulatory Commission; and
``(B) notwithstanding subsection (a) of section 7421 of
title 38, an individual occupying a position listed in
subsection (b) of such section;''.
[[Page H6214]]
(b) Applicability.--With respect to a position listed in
section 7421(b) of title 38, United States Code, the
amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply to any
individual appointed to such a position on or after the date
of enactment of this Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
North Carolina (Mr. Walker) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr.
Sarbanes) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina.
General Leave
Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include
extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from North Carolina?
There was no objection.
Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 899, the Veterans Providing
Healthcare Transition Improvement Act introduced by the junior Senator
from Hawaii.
S. 899 is the Senate version of H.R. 2648 introduced by the gentleman
from Ohio (Mr. Stivers). In 2015, Congress enacted the Wounded Warriors
Federal Leave Act. The Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act provides 104
hours of paid sick leave to newly employed veterans with a service-
connected disability rating of 30 percent or more.
The sick leave is used to attend medical treatment related to the
service-connected disability and must be used within 12 months of
beginning employment. The law, however, did not explicitly apply to
veterans hired into certain medical occupations at the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
When the VA has applied the provisions of the act to these
occupations, this bill would ensure new veterans hired in these
positions continue to receive paid sick leave to treat their service-
connected disability.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr.
Stivers) for sponsoring the House version of this bill and for his
dedication to caring for our Nation's veterans. I would also like to
thank Chairman David Roe and his staff at the House Committee on
Veterans' Affairs for working with us to bring this bill to the floor.
I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance
of my time.
House of Representatives,
Committee on Veterans Affairs,
Washington, DC, June 19, 2018.
Hon. Trey Gowdy,
Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing to you concerning H.R.
2648, the ``Veterans Transition Improvement Act,'' and its
Senate companion, S. 899. There are provisions in the
legislation that fall within the jurisdiction of the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
In the interest of permitting your committee to proceed
expeditiously to floor consideration of this legislation, I
am willing to waive this committee's right to sequential
referral. I do so with the understanding that by waiving
consideration of the bills, the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs does not waive any future jurisdictional claim over
the subject matters contained in the bills which fall within
its jurisdiction. I also request that you urge the Speaker to
name members of this committee to any conference committee
which is named to consider such provisions.
Please place this letter into the committee report on H.R.
2648 and into the Congressional Record during consideration
of this legislation on the House floor.
Sincerely,
David P. Roe, M.D.,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives, Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform,
Washington, DC, June 20, 2018.
Hon. David P. Roe, M.D.,
Chairman, Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: On May 23, 2018, the Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform ordered reported H.R. 2648,
the Veterans Transition Improvement Act with an amendment, by
voice vote. The bill was referred primarily to the Committee
on Veterans' Affairs with an additional referral to the
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Based on our
previous consultation, we intend to request S. 899--the
Senate companion to H.R. 2648--be scheduled for floor
consideration.
To expedite floor consideration, I ask that you forego
further consideration of H.R. 2648. This in no way affects
your jurisdiction over the subject matter of the bill, and it
will not serve as precedent for future referrals. In
addition, should a conference on the bill be necessary, I
would support your request to have the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs represented on the conference committee. Finally, I
would be pleased to include this letter and any response in
the bill report filed by the Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform on H.R. 2648, as well as in the
Congressional Record during floor consideration of S. 899, to
memorialize our understanding.
Thank you for your consideration of my request.
Sincerely,
Trey Gowdy.
Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I want to thank Representatives Stivers and Takano for their
sponsorship of this much needed bipartisan bill, which would expand, as
you heard, coverage of Representative Stephen Lynch's Wounded Warriors
Federal Leave Act to newly hired healthcare veterans at the Veterans
Health Administration.
Approximately one-third of VA's new hires are veterans. It is no
surprise that veterans who leave military service want to continue to
serve this country and the American people. We are grateful that these
brave men and women, many of whom are wounded themselves, choose to
devote their civilian careers to taking care of their fellow wounded
warriors.
The bill would provide newly hired doctors, nurses, physician
assistants, dentists, optometrists, and chiropractors at the VHA who
have service-connected disabilities with 104 hours of sick leave during
their first year of employment to take care of their medical
conditions.
This is a very good bill that I urge my colleagues to support, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio
(Mr. Stivers), the champion of this bill and the sponsor of its House
companion.
Mr. STIVERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 899, the
Veterans Providing Healthcare Transition Improvement Act.
I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano), for helping me,
being the lead Democrat on this. This is bipartisan and bicameral
legislation. Senator Hirono is the sponsor in the Senate. We are the
sponsors in the House.
But, Mr. Speaker, it is great to have a veteran in the chair today.
Mr. Speaker, as a brigadier general in the Ohio Army National Guard, I
know firsthand the incredible sacrifices that our veterans have made in
the service of our country. We owe it to them to provide them time when
they come home to deal with the things they need to work on, their
medical and other conditions.
In 2015, the Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act was signed into law,
which was great. It gave sick leave to people that are newly hired
Federal employees, rather than waiting on that leave to accrue, if they
had a disability rating, a service-connected disability rating of 30
percent of more. Unfortunately, that bill did not extend those benefits
to title 38 employees.
{time} 1645
Those are VA employees, like physicians, physician assistants,
registered nurses, chiropractors, podiatrists, optometrists, and
dentists. They are healthcare providers themselves. It is no small
number of employees. In fact, as we sit here, there are over 14,000
vacancies in title 38 jobs. That means up to 14,000 people can benefit
from this bill.
Again, it is bipartisan. It is a simple change that allows these
title 38 veteran employees to get leave to deal with their wounded
warrior conditions rather than waiting for that leave to accrue over
time. It is a bipartisan bill. I thank Mr. Takano for that.
A lot of veteran organizations have supported it: the National
Association of VA Physicians and Dentists, the Nurses Organization of
Veterans Affairs, the American Legion, the VFW, Paralyzed Veterans of
America, Disabled American Veterans, Association of the United States
Navy, American Federation of Government Employees, National Federation
of Federal Employees, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, AMVETS,
and the Federal Managers Association.
[[Page H6215]]
I thank the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the
gentleman from North Carolina, the gentleman from Maryland, and the
chairman from South Carolina for their hard work on this. I also want
to thank the Veterans' Affairs Committee and the gentleman from
Tennessee (Mr. Roe) for their expertise as they worked through this
bill. I thank the sponsors of the Senate legislation, and I thank
Representative Takano for joining me in this important effort.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense,
bipartisan legislation.
Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the
gentleman from California (Mr. Takano), one of the sponsors of this
very, very important bill.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 899, the Veterans
Providing Healthcare Transition Improvement Act, which extends paid
sick leave benefits for veteran employees with service-connected
disabilities in their first year of work at the Department of Veterans
Affairs.
As the lead Democrat on this bill, I thank my colleague
Representative Steve Stivers from Ohio for his bipartisan leadership
on this issue. And let me hasten to add, I do enjoy the work that we do
together as founders and co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional
Maker Caucus, bringing to the attention of the Congress advanced
manufacturing technologies.
But back to the issue at hand.
Mr. Speaker, I also thank Senator Mazie Hirono for taking the lead on
this important issue in the Senate.
Veterans who choose to provide their medical skills and expertise to
serve other veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs should not
have to take a leave of absence to receive the care that they need. By
improving the Wounded Warrior Federal Leave Act to extend benefits to
wounded warriors working at the VA, we will help veterans who need to
take time off to get their own medical care.
This will also help in hiring and recruiting what are known as title
38 employees at the VA. This group of employees includes physicians,
physician assistants, registered nurses, chiropractors, podiatrists,
optometrists, and dentists.
According to 2018 data from the Veterans Health Administration, there
are over 14,000 title 38 vacancies nationwide. We must make it a
priority to fill these vacancies to ensure that the VA is well staffed
and capable of providing veterans with the services that they need.
Extending benefits to title 38 employees at the VA can help with the
recruitment and hiring of veterans who want to continue helping other
veterans.
Veterans working at the VA already make incredible sacrifices to help
their fellow veterans. Their paychecks should not be one of them. This
is why I urge my colleagues to stand with our veterans and support this
legislation.
Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of S. 899, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Francis Rooney of Florida). The question
is on the motion offered by the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr.
Walker) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, S. 899, as
amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``An Act to amend
title 5, United States Code, to ensure that the requirements that new
Federal employees who are veterans with service-connected disabilities
are provided leave for purposes of undergoing medical treatment for
such disabilities apply to certain employees of the Veterans Health
Administration.''.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________