November 09, 2017

Rep. Correa Introduces Legislation To Help Our Nation’s Heroes

Washington, DC—In honor of Veterans’ Day, Congressman Lou Correa (D-CA) introduced two Veterans’ bills to help veterans.

Rep. Correa said, “Veterans represent the best of America. In return for their sacrifices, this country promises every soldier that we’ll have their back. Their mission was protecting us. Now that they’re home, it is our mission to protect them.”

First, Congressman Correa introduced the “Improving Oversight of Women Veterans’ Care Act” with House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Tim Walz (D-MN) and House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health Ranking Member Julia Brownley (D-CA). Currently, the VA does not know if all women have access to specific healthcare needs. This bill will provide data necessary to ensure they receive the best quality care they deserve.

Rep. Correa said, “The Department of Veterans’ Affairs was created to treat all veterans. When it comes to women’s care, some veterans simply don’t have access to the care they need. This bill will give us the data we need to ensure every woman gets the quality care she earned serving her nation.”

Rep. Julia Brownley said, “We must make sure that all our veterans—male and female alike—are receiving the quality care they need, whether at the VA or in the community. I am proud to co-author this bill with Congressman Correa, which will allow us to track the quality of care provided to women veterans and conduct effective oversight to ensure they are well served no matter where they get their care.”

Congressman Correa also introduced the “Servicemember Family Burial Benefits Act,” which allows immediate family members of an active duty servicemember to be buried in veterans’ cemeteries.

Rep. Correa said, “When a soldier serving our nation has the unimaginable loss of a spouse or child, this bill will provide an option during their time of grief.”

Improving Oversight of Women Veterans’ Care Act

This bill will improve and enhance data collection and reporting on two issues.

This bill requires the VA to apply oversight metrics on gender-specific healthcare received by women participating in CHOICE. This bill will enhance the monitoring needed for effective oversight of women veterans’ healthcare in the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and community care programs. In 2016, the GAO reported that the VA lacked metrics on their care of women veterans participating in CHOICE. This bill will mandate metrics be applied and collected to ensure woman receiving gender specific care via CHOICE are getting proper care.

This bill will also requires VA Medical Facilities report to Secertary of Veterans Affairs quarterly on their compliance with current environmental care standards. While all facilities are required to comply with environmental care standards at all times, this bill ensures data is collected on compliance to help identify bad-actors.

Veteran Family Burial Benefits Act

This bill will allow the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to bury an active-duty servicemember’s immediate family if they pass away before the servicemember. Currently, the family members of a veteran can be buried in a Veteran’s cemetery only if they pass after the servicemember, except on a case-by-case basis that involves an intrusive and emotionally difficult process. The National Cemetery Administration requested this solution in their FY2018 budget submission.