[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4748]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  A BILL OF RIGHTS FOR WOMEN VETERANS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BOB FILNER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 30, 2011

  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I recently introduced important legislation 
to establish a women veterans bill of rights, H.R. 809.
  There are now 1.8 million women veterans, and the number of these 
women turning to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for treatment 
and services is increasing every day. In fact, current VA estimates 
project that the percentage of women among the total number of veterans 
enrolled in the VA health care system will have risen to 10 percent by 
2018, up from 7.7 percent now.
  Mr. Speaker, men have long been the dominant stakeholder within VA, 
but it is past time that VA recognizes women veterans as an equally 
important stakeholder.
  During hearings and roundtables over the past Congresses, the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs has asked women veterans to come forward 
with their own stories about their experiences with VA. From their 
accounts, it is clear that while VA has made some strides in caring for 
women, significant gaps remain.
  The veterans testifying before the Committee have told us of an 
unwelcoming culture within some VA facilities that makes women veterans 
feel alienated, disrespected, and reluctant to pursue the benefits and 
services that they have earned with their sacrifices.
  VA must recognize and be equipped to treat the unique medical 
concerns that women veterans have. They must respect privacy concerns 
and eliminate cultural insensitivity that may otherwise bar women from 
accessing VA health care and they must ensure that women and male 
veterans are always treated equally in their ability to secure quality 
VA benefits and services.
  This legislation would take us closer to achieving that long overdue 
standard.
  H.R. 809 would require VA to display in all of their facilities, 24 
fundamental principles governing their treatment of women veterans. 
Veterans who may have felt isolated and unwelcome in VA facilities 
before will be able to read these principles and understand VA's 
responsibility to them.
  The principles lay out women veterans' right to state-of-the-art 
medical technologies and procedures for treating their unique medical 
concerns, VA's responsibility to provide vigorous outreach to inform 
women of the VA benefits and services they are entitled to, and other 
important guidelines for what women veterans can and should expect of 
VA.
  Above all, the principles make clear that VA must always treat women 
veterans as they should treat any veteran, with sensitivity to their 
unique concerns and the dignity that their service to this country 
demands.

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