Department of Veterans Affairs Creation of On-Site Treatment Systems Affording Veterans Improvements and Numerous General Safety Enhancements Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 753, as amended, the VA COST SAVINGS Enhancements Act. This bill will require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop an analytical model to compare the costs of off-site versus on-site regulated medical waste treatment.

The VA will further be required to install on-site regulated medical waste treatment systems at VA facilities that would realize cost savings within a 5-year period.

Regulated medical waste is any type of waste generated by healthcare facilities that may be contaminated by blood, bodily fluids, or other potentially infectious materials. There are Federal and State requirements governing how it must be handled and how it may be transported given the infection transmission risks it poses.

On-site regulated medical waste sterilization systems would enable VA medical facilities to treat and compact this waste before it is transported off-site for disposal. There are potential cost savings associated with being able to sterilize and compact medical waste before it is taken off-site.

Trucking costs are higher for untreated medical waste because of all the precautions that must be taken to comply with applicable State and Federal regulations when transporting it, and because it takes more trucks to move the waste if it is not compacted first.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 753, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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