Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016

Floor Speech

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Ms. TITUS. I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment, which is designed to focus the VA's attention on a critical issue, the treatment of our female veterans.

The population of women veterans is rapidly growing. Today women constitute approximately 20 percent of new recruits, 14.5 percent of the Active Duty component, and 18 percent of the Reserve component. Almost 280,000 women have served post-9/11 in Afghanistan and Iraq. While the number of male veterans is expected to decline by 2020, the number of women veterans is expected to grow dramatically to 11 percent of the veteran population.

From health care to child care, the needs of women veterans are different from those of their male counterparts. Unfortunately, the VA has faced challenges in meeting these needs. There are far too few OB/GYNs and a dearth of women's healthcare clinics. Where clinics do exist, many lack sufficient privacy protections for the patient. The VA has also struggled to address shortages in mental health, child care, and housing services for female veterans.

Too many women who served either do not identify themselves as veterans or they lack sufficient information about the benefits and services that the VA provides. Fortunately, the VA has started to put an increased focus on this population. The VA Center for Women Veterans is charged with monitoring and coordinating VA's administration of health care, benefits services, and programs for women veterans, as well as with raising awareness within the Department for their special needs.

In 2012 the Women Veterans Task Force published a report outlining strategies to meet the needs of our female veterans. The report highlighted barriers to providing services to women veterans, including a lack of data collection and analysis. Without knowing how to best serve and meet expectations of female veterans, the VA will never be able to give these heroes the care and support that they earned and deserve.

My amendment is designed simply to encourage the VA to fill the two unfunded data collection and analysis positions in the Center for Women Veterans to ensure that the VA is able to identify and fulfill the needs of our Nation's female heroes.

I thank the chairman and the ranking member for working with me on this amendment.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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