Letter to Secretary Shinseki, Veterans Affairs
Letter
Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer called on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a new pilot program in Upstate New York to expand access to daycare services for the children of veterans who are undergoing medical treatment. Schumer's call comes as the Upstate New York Veterans Integrated Service Network, called VISN-2, has experienced a 24% increase in the number of enrolled female veterans in just one year. In response to increasing demand from veterans for daycare services while they undergo medical treatment, Schumer is pushing to implement a pilot program throughout Upstate New York that would help establish on-site daycare services at VA healthcare facilities. The program would also provide stipends to parents interested in placing their child in licensed, private daycare providers during medical treatment, and increase collaboration with and access to other federal facilities and programs that provide daycare services. Current law requires the VA to select no fewer than three regions for the pilot program, but the VA has yet to name any. In light of the growing need for daycare services from New York veterans, Schumer argues that the VISN-2 network would be the ideal place to test the program.
"I am so grateful to the women and men who have served our nation with incredible distinction, both at home and abroad," said Schumer. "With the huge growth in the number of female veterans getting care from Upstate New York VA facilities, it makes perfect sense to launch this childcare pilot program here. I know it can root and grow, so that moms and dads across the country can have access to childcare while they're getting the medical treatment our vets need and deserve. When our brave men and women serve in our armed forces, the whole family makes a sacrifice. The least we can do is help veteran parents ensure that their kids are in safe hands while they're at the doctor or in the hospital."
"Women warriors represent the changing face of our military and veteran populations and their needs are significantly different," said Dr. Patrick W. Welch, Sgt. USMC (Ret.), the director of the Center for Veterans and Veterans Family Services at Daemen College. "This includes appearing for medical appointments with children and not having a family friendly VA facility. Congress told the VA to establish three pilot programs in 2010 and as of today none exist. With the increased growth in our female veteran enrollment in VISN-2, our region is the perfect place to establish these pilots.
The national network of VA medical facilities is broken up into 23 individual Veterans Integrated Service Networks. The VISN-2 network is made up of 34 different facilities throughout Upstate New York, including six VA medical centers and 28 community based outpatient clinics. During fiscal year 2009, there were 36,713 inpatient admissions to VA medical facilities in New York State, and approximately 3,253,000 outpatient visits. Due to the heavy volume of medical center and clinic visits, and the increase in female veterans who are receiving health care at these facilities, Schumer argues that the Upstate network is an ideal location for the VA childcare pilot program.
The pilot program, authorized at $1.5 million for each of the fiscal years 2010 and 2011, will be conducted at three VISN networks. Assistance to veterans can include establishing on-site daycare facilities and services, stipends for those parents who choose to use a licensed daycare provider, and increased collaboration between the VA medical facilities and other federal entities that currently offer daycare services to employees. As the program moves forward and new solutions are devised, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has the authority to approve other uses of pilot program funds to improve access to daycare services.
There are over 30,000 female veterans currently living in the VISN-2 network coverage area in Upstate New York. Here is how the numbers break down across the state:
· There are currently about 6,165 female veterans living in the Capital Region.
o They can receive health care at the Albany Stratton VA Medical Center, as well as the following Community Based Outpatient Clinics: Catskill, Clifton Park, Fonda, Schenectady, and Troy.
· There are currently about 5,872 female veterans living in Western New York
o They can receive health care at the Buffalo VA Medical Center, the Batavia VA Medical Center, as well as the following Community Based Outpatient Clinics: Jamestown, Lockport, Dunkirk, Niagara Falls, and Lackawanna.
· There are currently about 4,806 female veterans living in the Rochester-Finger Lakes Region
o They can receive health care at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center, as well as the following Community Based Outpatient Clinics: Warsaw and Rochester.
· There are currently about 3,804 female veterans living in the Southern Tier
o They can receive health care at the Bath VA Medical Center, as well as the following Community Based Outpatient Clinics: Elmira, Bainbridge, Binghamton, Tompkins/Cortland County, Olean, and Wellsville.
· There are currently about 5,146 female veterans living in Central New York
o They can receive health care at the Syracuse VA Medical Center, as well as the following Community Based Outpatient Clinics: Auburn, Oswego, Rome.
· There are currently about 720 female veterans living in the Hudson Valley
o They can receive health care at the Kingston Community Based Outpatient Clinic.
· There are currently about 3,952 female veterans living in the North Country
o They can receive health care at the following Community Based Outpatient Clinics: Massena, Malone, Plattsburgh, Watertown, Elizabethtown, Glens Falls.
A copy of Senator Schumer's letter to Secretary Shinseki appears below:
Secretary Eric K. Shinseki
Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20420
Dear Secretary Shinseki:
I am writing regarding an important child care pilot program established by Section 205 of Public Law 111-163. This pilot program is intended to help qualified Veterans obtain child care while receiving health care services. The law provided a two-year period for conducting the pilot in three of the VA healthcare networks, but eleven months into that period those networks remain to be identified. I urge you to consider VISN 2, the Upstate New York network as one of the locations for this pilot.
I appreciate the careful work of the VA in devising a plan for this pilot. Nevertheless - with only a year left of the pilot period - now is the time to start offering these needed child care services. Many veterans in Upstate New York have expressed strong interest in this issue, and I would share their deep gratitude if VISN 2 is selected for this pilot. This would be particularly fitting considering the region's pioneering VA healthcare facilities, and the growing population of veterans who could benefit from this pilot. Incorporating child care services in Upstate New York would be a wonderful opportunity for the VISN 2 team to underscore their commitment to excellence.
On behalf of all New Yorkers, I thank you for the VA's important work which supports a vital segment of our communities. Providing child care for veterans who are receiving health care is an opportunity to enhance and extend that support. Please don't hesitate to contact me if I can be helpful as you select locations and take other steps implement this important provision of law.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator
Source