Sen. Cornyn Offers Amendment Aimed at Meeting Inpatient Health Care Needs of South Texas Veterans
Press Release
Sen. Cornyn Offers Amendment Aimed at Meeting Inpatient Health Care Needs of South Texas Veterans
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today offered an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2009 Department of Defense Authorization bill that would require the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to formulate a definitive plan for meeting the inpatient health care needs of more than 100,000 veterans in South Texas. This amendment is based on a bill Sen. Cornyn introduced last year, the South Texas Veterans Access to Care Act of 2007, which is a companion to legislation introduced in the U.S. House by U.S. Reps. Ortiz, Hinojosa, Doggett and Cuellar.
"I'm hopeful the Majority Leader will accept my amendment. The more than 100,000 veterans in South Texas have been waiting too long for the VA to recognize the need for a new VA hospital and make it a reality. These men and women have made tremendous sacrifices for our country; the least we can do in return is ensure they have adequate access to quality health care. Many of them are forced to drive more than six hours to reach a VA hospital, and this is too much to ask of Americans who have given so much in the defense of our nation," Sen. Cornyn said.
"The need is clear, and it's time for Congress to do the right thing: answer our veterans' call and take action on this legislation. If it passes, I believe it will pave the way for the construction of a new VA hospital facility in South Texas.
"I applaud the VA's efforts to expand outpatient health care facilities in South Texas, particularly in Harlingen. My bill would reinforce these efforts and expand them to include meeting the inpatient needs of South Texas veterans."
South Texas has one of the highest per capita levels of veterans in the nation. The estimated 100,000 veterans in South Texas are sometimes forced to drive up to 250 miles for inpatient medical care.
Sen. Cornyn's amendment would require the VA Secretary to consider the following three options for meeting the inpatient needs of our veterans in Far South Texas:
* A project for a public-private venture to provide inpatient services and long-term care to veterans in an existing facility in Far South Texas; or
* A project for construction of a new full-service, 50-bed hospital with a 125-bed nursing home in Far South Texas; or
* A sharing agreement with a military treatment facility in Far South Texas
Then, within 180 days of enactment, the VA Secretary would be required to notify Congress which one of these options is most appropriate and then execute that option. If the VA Secretary decides the construction of a new VA hospital is the most appropriate option, Sen. Cornyn's amendment would authorize appropriations in the amount of $175 million for the project.
Sen. Cornyn's bill, S.1838, the South Texas Veterans Access to Care Act, has had solid bipartisan support with four senators cosponsoring: Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison, John Kerry, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Barack Obama.
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