From the Office of Senator Kerry

Tuesday, June 15, 1999

Washington, DC - Senator John F. Kerry (D-MA) today announced that he has placed a hold on the reappointment of Dr. Kenneth Kizer as the Under Secretary of Health for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Senator Kerry said, "I have serious concerns that Massachusetts veterans will not have access to high quality medical care under current budget constraints. The Under Secretary for Veteran's health must be a pro-active advocate for veterans, and I have been disappointed that Dr. Kizer has not fought hard enough for veterans funding in Massachusetts. It is time for Dr. Kizer to work with us on a solution to the veterans health care crisis in Massachusetts."

Massachusetts has been forced to absorb a significant budget cut as part of the VA's effort to reorganize the way it delivers health care services. For the fourth consecutive year, Massachusetts is facing the greatest cuts within the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) I. It has endured $54 million in health care cuts during this period.

The Northampton VA Medical Center already has lost 150 hospital beds, the Bedford Hospital has lost 230 beds and the Boston/Brockton/West Roxbury Hospitals have lost a total of 330 beds. Staff at the hospitals has been reduced by more than 1,200.

On March 1, 1998, Kerry joined over70 Senators and Members in requesting adequate funds for VA Healthcare in the President's budget for fiscal year 2000. This request went unheeded and the VA health care budget remains at $18.1 billion, even though the Administration has proposed five new programs for fiscal year 2000 estimated at $600 million. In addition, on March 24, Kerry led the Massachusetts delegation in sending a letter stressing their concerns about funding cuts for veterans' services in Massachusetts and asking for a significant increase in the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care budget. Senator Kerry also personally met with Dr. Kizer to express his concerns about the state of veterans health care in Massachusetts.

The Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs is expected to vote on the nomination this week.