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Cornyn Introduces Bill To Provide Veterans Hospital Care In South Texas

Joined by Local Veterans, Officials in Harlingen to Announce New Effort in the Senate

HARLINGEN—U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, was joined by area veterans and local officials at Harlingen City Hall today to announce he and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison have introduced legislation to meet the inpatient hospital needs for the more than 100,000 veterans in South Texas.  The South Texas Veterans Access to Care Act of 2007, S. 1838, is a Senate companion bill to similar legislation introduced in the U.S. House in January by U.S. Reps. Ortiz, Hinojosa, Doggett and Cuellar.

Sen. Cornyn said, “Our veterans here in South Texas have served this nation honorably and bravely, and have risked their lives to preserve our freedom and democracy. We have a solemn obligation to honor our commitment to them by providing the health care they need and deserve.  Our legislation advances the effort to make sure South Texas veterans, some of whom currently travel more than 250 miles, have much-needed access to inpatient medical, surgical and extended care.  I’ll continue working with Sen. Hutchison and our Texas colleagues in the U.S. House to ensure our veterans get the hospital care they deserve as soon as possible.”

Sen. Hutchison said, “I remain committed to working with local officials, my colleagues in Congress and the VA to provide significantly greater access to health care for veterans in South Texas.  At my request, the VA is currently conducting a study on this issue and I am eagerly awaiting the results.”

BACKGROUND:

The Cornyn South Texas Veterans Access to Care Act of 2007 does the following:

• Reinforces through a Sense of Congress regarding the needs of our Veterans in the Valley:
  • States that the current and future health care needs of veterans residing in the Far South Texas area are not being fully met by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
  • Affirms that more than 100,000 veterans reside in Far South Texas.
  • Highlights that travel times for veterans can exceed six hours from their residences to the nearest Department of Veterans Affairs hospital for inpatient health care. 
  • Notes that Deployments involving members of the Texas National Guard and Reservists from Texas will serve to continue to increase the Veterans population in Far South Texas.
• The Bill mandates that 6 months after enactment the VA Secretary will determine and notify Congress on how the needs of veterans in South Texas for inpatient hospital care will be met. It offers three possible solutions for Veterans hospital care:
  • Through a project for a public-private venture to provide inpatient services and long-term care to veterans in an existing facility in Far South Texas; or
  • Through a project for construction of a new full-service, 50-bed hospital with a  125-bed nursing home in Far South Texas; or
  • Through a sharing agreement with a military treatment facility in Far South Texas.
• If the VA Secretary recommends construction in Far South Texas of a new full-service VA hospital facility, the bill allows the Secretary to chose the best location in South Texas suitable to meet the health care needs of veterans in the region.
• Finally, the Bill allows an authorization for VA Construction of a hospital of 175 million dollars, if that is the recommended option from the VA secretary.

Additional Recent Background:

• On April 12th, Senator Cornyn introduced the “Veterans' Housing Benefits Enhancement Act of 2007” which would provide immediate and tangible assistance to wounded military service members and their families by strengthening current law in several key areas.  The basis for this important legislation came directly from recent meetings Senator Cornyn had in Texas with wounded soldiers and their families, including a roundtable he convened at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio on March 10. The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee unanimously approved the legislation Wednesday 27 June that includes these provisions that will provide immediate and tangible assistance to wounded military service members and their families. To view Senator Cornyn’s floor speech introducing this legislation, please click here.
• On June 14th, Senator Cornyn amended the “Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act,” S. 1606, to include a provision to strengthen the law by explicitly adding “burns” to the listed serious medical conditions for directed Department of Defense development of requirements and standards for helping family members with care for their wounded service members.

Sen. Cornyn serves on the Armed Services, Judiciary and Budget Committees. In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference and the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Border Security and Refugees subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee’s Airland subcommittee. He served previously as Texas Attorney General, Texas Supreme Court Justice, and Bexar County District Judge.

Sen. Hutchison serves on the Veterans Affairs Committee and is Ranking Member on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs.  She also serves on the Commerce, Science, and Transportation and Rules Committees.

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