[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12753]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 ENHANCING COOPERATION AND SHARING OF RESOURCES BETWEEN DEPARTMENT OF 
                        VETERANS AFFAIRS AND DOD

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. SILVESTRE REYES

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 20, 2003

  Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1911. This bill 
authorizes the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of 
Veterans Affairs (VA) to investigate ways to share resources to improve 
benefits and services, including health care, to veterans, service 
members, military retirees and their families.
  As many of you may have read in the National Journal article of 
February 15, 2003, the relationship between William Beaumont Army 
Medical Center (WBAMC) and the VA outpatient clinic in my home district 
of El Paso, Texas is an excellent example of resource sharing. For 
years, a veteran in El Paso who needed specialized care had to be 
referred to the nearest full-service VA hospital, which happened to be 
a four hour drive away in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Today, a veteran can 
literally go next door to WBAMC. There, the VA is given access to 
expensive expertise and equipment, such as pathologists and MRI scans, 
and in return the VA reimburses the Army nearly $5 million a year, well 
below the going rate for the medical care in the private sector.
  I have urged both the DOD and the VA to build on our success story in 
El Paso and use this cooperation as a nationwide model. I hope my 
colleagues will join me in support of H.R. 1911. I yield back the 
balance of my time.

                          ____________________