[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 216 (Saturday, December 19, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S7849]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. REED (for himself and Mr. Tester):
  S. 5072. A bill to improve Vet Centers for the Department of Veterans 
Affairs, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, as many of my colleagues know, the 
transition from deployment to civilian life is frequently difficult. 
Vet Centers, created in the wake of the Vietnam War, are community-
based centers that were designed to provide critical services for 
veterans, service members, and their families. Today, there is a need 
to enhance these Centers to realize that original vision--which is why 
I am introducing the Vet Center Improvement Act.
  This legislation is an outgrowth of a Government Accountability 
Office (GAO) investigation that Senator Tester and I requested into 
allegations that changes to performance metrics at Vet Centers may have 
negatively impacted care and additional concerns that he and I had 
about their staffing practices. The subsequent GAO report concluded 
that recent changes ``have the potential to negatively affect care and 
create undue burden and stress on counselors providing that care at 
some Vet Centers.'' This report included recommendations to improve 
care, transparency, and hiring and staffing methods that form the 
foundation for our legislation.
  Specifically, the Vet Center Improvement Act requires periodic review 
and reform of performance standards at Vet Centers; the creation and 
periodic reevaluation of a staffing model, along with standardization 
of position descriptions and responsibilities across Vet Centers; the 
creation of a working group to implement changes to improve quality of 
care for veterans and recruitment and retention of staff; and the GAO 
to review Vet Center infrastructure and examine what future investments 
are needed.
  Additionally, our legislation creates a pilot program to provide 
grants to combat food insecurity and provide necessary heating and 
cooling assistance to veterans and their families. Food insecurity and 
the need for heating assistance are growing issues for veterans and 
others as a result of the pandemic.
  I would like to thank Senator Tester for not only the attention he 
has paid to this issue as Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans Affairs 
Committee, but also for joining with me on this important legislation. 
Our legislation has received support from such organizations as the 
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), American Veterans (AMVETS), Disabled 
American Veterans (DAV), National Community Action Foundation (NCAF), 
National Association for State Community Services Programs (NASCSP), 
the National Energy & Utility Affordability Coalition (NEUAC), and the 
URI Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America. I look forward to 
continuing our partnership on this and other measures to improve care 
for our veterans, and I hope our colleagues will join us in this 
endeavor.

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