Assuring Quality Care for Veterans Act

Floor Speech

* Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5145, which will increase the reimbursement amount for Veterans Administration, VA, health professionals who continue their professional education. It will also expand the VA's authority to offer education reimbursements by allowing all health professionals employed by the VA to qualify, including optometrists, nurses, chiropractors, and other vital health care providers who are currently ineligible. This important measure will ensure that the VA community has up-to-date training so that they can best treat our veterans who so selflessly serve our country.

* I thank Chairman FILNER for his leadership in bringing this bill to the floor. I would also like to thank the sponsor of this legislation, Congressman MCNERNEY, for his dedication to ensuring that we offer our veterans the highest quality health care.

* Madam Speaker, our brave men and women in uniform have assumed the responsibility of protecting us and the values that we cherish as American citizens. We, then, have a solemn obligation to provide them with the resources and services that they need. This includes the best available medical treatment for our veterans who return home wounded or with disabilities. With a new generation of veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan, it is as important as ever that the VA medical staff is fully equipped to treat traumatic brain injuries, post traumatic stress syndrome, and other health complications that are increasingly prevalent due to the new threats of 21st century warfare.

* As the representative of a district that is home to over 24,000 veterans and the VA Medical Center of Long Beach, I am sensitive to the health care needs of our servicemen and servicewomen returning home from overseas. These young men and women in uniform risk their lives on our behalf and ask little in return. The least we can do to repay their sacrifice is ensure that they have access to the most modern and effective treatments and a comprehensive array of services. This bill will do just that.

* Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 5145.

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