Defending Public Safety Employees' Retirement Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. CAPITO. Madam President, I come here before you today, joined by my colleague Senator Baldwin from Wisconsin--but also by colleagues from both sides of the aisle, as she mentioned--in support of legislation to provide safer and more effective pain management to our Nation's veterans.

Too many of our veterans have returned from overseas duties only to fight another battle here at home. The Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act takes the necessary steps to address challenges faced by our veterans.

Again, I thank the Simcakoskis for their bravery and courage, as painful as it is for the family, in hopes that it will help--and it will help--the next generation of veterans who are being treated at the VA.

This bill reforms the overreliance on painkillers by the VA while still ensuring that veterans receive appropriate medication. This legislation not only updates and strengthens the guidelines for opioid prescriptions, but it requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to expand the scope of research, education, delivery, and integration of alternative pain management. Chronic pain should not be something our veterans are forced to live with, and the VA must be on the cutting edge of developing effective pain management.

This bill will elevate the role of patient advocates--as I am sure Jason's wife was a great patient advocate--require community meetings hosted by the VA, and establish a joint DOD-VA working group to improve coordination and communication at all levels of government.

In an era where medical research and technological advancements have led to at least a 90-percent survival rate for our wounded soldiers, we must continue to focus on the battles our veterans face when they return home, including treatment of those wounds that are not evidently visible.

One marine in my hometown, Andrew White, returned home to West Virginia after serving in Iraq. Andrew displayed signs of PTSD, including insomnia, nightmares, constant restlessness, and pain related to an injury. In addition to antidepressant and antianxiety pills, doctors placed Andrew on a strong antipsychotic drug and, over time, increased his dosage from 25 milligrams to 1600 milligrams--more than twice the dosage recommended to treat schizophrenia. Andrew White died in his sleep at the age of 23.

Andrew is a reminder of the physical and mental side effects of the war. We must work together to provide the resources and care necessary to assist our veterans in their transition into civilian life.

Expansion of the Opioid Safety Initiative and further development of the opioid therapy risk support tool will do just that. These measures will enable the VA to use the patient record database to detect those at higher risk of opioid abuse and submit information to the State prescription drug monitoring programs. We really need all hands on deck. This real-time tracking of information will enable medical professionals to better diagnose and treat patients.

This legislation calls for more accountability within the VA through internal audits, reports to Congress, and increased information sharing.

We cannot allow bureaucracy to get in the way of delivering quality care to veterans, and we must prioritize the efficient delivery of care.

In my home State of West Virginia, the tragic effects of opioid abuse have left families devastated. I have met with other families who lost their loved ones who suffered from PTSD and traumatic brain injury, and I believe more can be done to find solutions.

It is incumbent upon us in a bipartisan way, as my colleague has said, to do right by our veterans. I wish to thank Senator Baldwin. I have been at committee meeting after committee meeting with her where she has pounded the drum on the importance of this issue and how devastating it is to families across this country. I thank Senator Baldwin.

Our best is not just the least we can do. It is our duty to those who have served, of whom we have asked so much, to do more than our best, and this bill does that.

I yield the floor.

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