After Scuttling VA Overhaul, Senator Rolls Out His Plan To Upgrade Facilities
After effectively quashing the process by which the Department of Veterans Affairs was to update its facilities, blocking the confirmation of commissioners who would have made recommendations on closures, renovations and brand new construction, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., has introduced legislation that would help the VA hire experts to draft a plan.
Administrators "have to fundamentally improve," said Rep. Mike Bost, R-Illinois, ranking member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, during a hearing on the topic Wednesday. "If we don't see major progress by early next year, when VA says they intend to roll [the effort] out to larger sites, we will have to seriously consider pulling the plug."
"I hope the situation can somehow be turned around. But everyone involved in this needs to understand that the consequences are real, and that there are no blank checks."
The criticism from House members came amid the second tense hearing for VA health records officials in the past week.
On July 20, members of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee grilled department leaders over new delays in the 10-year modernization effort and reports that the $16 billion price tag could more than triple in coming years.
Just a few days earlier, the VA Inspector General's office released a new report detailing 149 cases of patient harm caused by the implementation of the new Oracle Cerner Millennium records software over a nine-month period at the department's hospital in Spokane, Washington.
A flaw in the system sent about 11,000 orders to an unknown and unchecked file, where requests for items such as appointments or blood tests went unanswered. In at least two cases, the lost files caused "major harm" to patients.
The health records overhaul was announced by then-President Donald Trump in 2017 as a way to bring veterans health records onto the same system as the military, providing troops with a lifelong medical file.
But the effort has been beset by problems for the past few years. The new software has been deployed to sites in Ohio and Washington, but additional planned rollouts for 2022 have been delayed until 2023 amid the mounting concerns.
In testimony Wednesday, Dr. Terry Adirim, director of the Electronic Health Record Modernization Integration Office, pushed back on the cost overrun estimates, saying they are based on the assumption putting the system in place will take more than 10 years.
"We are still in the process of planning for a 10-year deployment and we should have a schedule out sometime in the fall," she said. "However, there have been delays, and so it's reasonable to expect that it could go beyond that, and we are doing that kind of contingency planning."
Lawmakers called the situation troubling.
Bost said he intends to draft legislation protecting patients and taxpayers from the program spiraling out of control.
If Republicans win control of the House in the November election, he likely will take over as chairman of the committee and would wield considerable legislative power on the issue.
Current committee Chairman Mark Takano, D-California, said he still believes that the department must upgrade its records system but "I will not sit idly by and allow this program to endanger veterans."
Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Montana, called the system "fully dysfunctional" and said he believes it is "not safe or suitable to roll out anywhere else."
Other panel members said they will work with VA officials to "hold program officials accountable," which could mean reprimands and dismissals in coming months.
VA officials have promised overhauls to the training programs to better prepare staff for future deployments. Leaders at Oracle Cerner have said publicly they are committed to fixing past problems with the system.
Updates the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by requiring the VA to continue providing assistance to a family caregiver for at least six months after the death of a veteran participating in the program.
Requires the VA to establish a process by which veterans who are determined to have the most significant need for caregiver assistance are permanently eligible for such assistance.
Requires the VA to standardize the criteria used across all facilities in its required evaluations of the needs of the veterans and the skills of the family caregiver.
Standardizes criteria used in accepting and evaluating applications for participation in the program across all facilities.
Support the CHAMPVA Children's Care Protection Act!
This bill provides that a child shall be eligible for medical care under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) until the child's 26th birthday, regardless of marital status.
Support the AUTO for Veterans Act!
Link to Advocacy Campaign: https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/campaigns/92795/respond
Legislation Summary
The Advancing Uniform Transportation Opportunities for Veterans "AUTO" Act would reduce the financial burden incurred by virtue of military service by ensuring severely disabled veterans receive a grant from the VA's Automobile Assistance Grant program to purchase a specially equipped vehicle once every ten years - as opposed to only once.
Support the Aid and Attendance Support Act!
Link to Advocacy Campaign: https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/campaigns/92792/respond
Legislation Summary
The Aid and Attendance Support Act temporarily increases eligible disabled veterans' and surviving spouses' Aid and Attendance (A&A) allowance by 25%.
Support the Ensuring Survivor Benefits during COVID-19 Act!
The Ensuring Survivor Benefits During COVID-19 Act requires the VA to solicit a medical opinion to determine if a service-connected disability was the principal or contributory cause of death in situations where a veteran's death certificate identifies COVID-19 as the principal or contributory cause of death, the certificate does not clearly identify any of the veteran's service-connected disabilities as the principal or contributory cause of death, and a claim for dependence and indemnity compensation is filed with respect to the veteran.
Ensures Reservists and National Guard members have no-fee healthcare through TRICARE Reserve Select that covers medical and dental coverage.
Fixes the parity gap for Reserve Component retirees receiving early retirement pay due to deployment credits making them eligible for TRICARE upon receipt of retirement pay.
Provides an incentive for small businesses to hire Reserve and National Guard members by ensuring their healthcare costs are covered.
Ensures service members can access physicals needed to be ready for no-notice deployments (which have increased over the past year).
Eliminates the statutory language that excludes Federal Employees Health Benefits Program eligible service members from TRICARE Reserve Select eligibility.
Support the Advancing Toward Impact Aid Full Funding Act!
Link to Advocacy Campaign: https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/campaigns/92818/respond
Legislation Summary
The Advancing Toward Impact Aid Full Funding Act would:
Split Impact Aid's $1.1 billion request evenly over five years, across three main categories for funding: Basic Support, Federal Property, and Children with Disabilities.
Increase Basic Support funding by $190 million annually, meeting Impact Aid's 2019 funding requests.
Increase Federal Property funding proportionally to Basic Support (BSP) by allocating an additional $11 million annually.
Increase funding for Children with Disabilities by $9 million annually, funding $2,000 per eligible student.
Advance national K-12 school systems to become more equitable and meet educational needs.
Support military families that are especially impacted by federally tax-exempt land.
Support the Health Care Fairness for Military Families Act!
Link to Advocacy Campaign: https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/campaigns/92815/respond
Legislation Summary
Modifies the extension of dependent coverage under TRICARE by allowing a dependent at the age of 26 to be covered without an additional premium.
Authorizes such coverage of dependents without a premium regardless of whether they are eligible to enroll in an employer-sponsored plan.
Support Expanding TRICARE Cranial Remolding Helmet Coverage!
Link to Advocacy Campaign: https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/campaigns/92802/respond
AFSA urges our nation's elected officials to support legislation that would expand the scope of TRICARE's coverage of the DOC Band Post-Op device if your baby:
Is three to 18 months old; and
Is diagnosed with craniosynostosis or nonsynostotic positional plagiocephaly (to include torticollis)
Support the Jobs and Childcare for Military Families Act!
Link to Advocacy Campaign: https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/campaigns/92799/respond
Legislation Summary
Allow an employer a work opportunity tax credit for hiring the spouse or domestic partner of a member of the Armed Forces.
Specifically, an employer may receive a tax credit equal to 40% of a new employee's first-year wages if the employer hires a service member's spouse or domestic partner (as recognized under state law or by the Armed Forces).
Create programs for service members to pay for childcare on a pretax basis.
Specifically, the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security (with respect to the Coast Guard) must implement flexible spending arrangements that permit members of the Armed Forces to use basic pay and compensation to pay on a pretax basis for dependent childcare.
Support the Retired Pay Restoration Act!
Link to Advocacy Campaign: https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/campaigns/92798/respond
Legislation Summary
Allowsthe receipt of both military retiredpay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability.
Extends full concurrent receipt eligibility to individuals who were retired or separated after at least 20 years of military service due to a service-connected disability.
Call To Action:Share How TRICARE's coverage of the Dynamic Orthotic Cranioplasty (DOC) Band Post-Op device negatively impact your family's quality of life!
For the past year, our Military and Government Relations Team has been working with AFSA military families on getting legislation introduced that would expand the scope of TRICAR's coverage of the DOC Band Post-Op device if a baby:
Is three to 18 months old; and
Is diagnosed with craniosynostosis or nonsynostotic positional plagiocephaly (to include torticollis)
Despite unsuccessful efforts (via FOIA request) to obtain important data for the purpose of quantifying the need of this issue in the aggregate, our Team is looking to hear from the field to share your story and help have your voice heard by members of Congress.
Issue Background
Helmet therapy is used to gently correct the shape of babies' skulls over time.
Newborn babies' skulls are soft plates with spaces between them. As the baby grows, these plates grow, gradually harden, and knit together.
Unfortunately, there are circumstances under which the soft plates may develop a flat spot or uneven appearance. This condition is called plagiocephaly.
Today, almost one in two babies (47%) is affected by some form of plagiocephaly.
When the baby's skull joins together too early, or in an abnormal way, this is called craniosynostosis. There are several types of craniosynostosis, depending on when the baby's skull joins together.
Today, it is estimated that 1 in every 2,500 babies has craniosynostosis.
Positional skull deformities and/or abnormalities - whether diagnosed as a form of plagiocephaly or craniosynostosis - can have short and long term health effects on a child.
However, despite this, TRICARE only covers the Dynamic Orthotic Cranioplasty (DOC) Band Post-Op device, synonymously referred to as a "molding helmet," if your baby:
Is three to 18 months old; and
Has had craniosynostoris surgery;
But still has a misshaped skull.
In other words, cranial molding helmet(s) are not covered for the treatment of nonsynostotic positional plagiocephaly or for the treatment of craniosynostosis before surgery; despite medical evidence that suggests the presence or absence of congenital or acquired plagiocephaly (to include torticollis) can, at the very least, increase the risk of gross motor development.
In fact, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics school-aged children with moderate to severe plagiocephaly scored lower than controls on cognitive and academic measures.
As a result, military families - who face unique challenges given the sacrifices that come along with serving our country - have been put in the tragic position to either front the hefty cost of the helmet (approximately $2,000), seek alternative forms of treatment that may not be preferred, or forego treatment altogether.
AFSA Int'l Convention ONLY (Arrive Saturday, August 7) This Registration Fee includes the following: Access to discounted hotel room rates, seminar/briefings, refreshments, Info Expo, Convention Theme Party, Welcoming Ceremony, and the AFSA International President's Dinner. However, if you are NOT an AFSA member, this registration fee does NOT grant you access to the AFSA's Member Appreciation Hospitality Room(s). This Convention Registration DOES NOT include hotel reservations.
Greetings AFSA Division and Chapter Leadership,
We are pleased to share the AFSA Set-It-Forever/Auto Pay procedures and marketing materials to help share the process with our members, your membership and potential new recruits.
The Set-It-Forever/Auto Pay program creates an opportunity to JOIN AFSA or RENEW a membership by making a $36 once-a-year/every-year auto payment, or a $4-each-month/every- month auto payment. The $36 once-a-year option is set at $36, and the $4-a-month option includes a bank processing fee of $1 each month.
Review the two ways to enroll, the benefits to using the auto-pay option, and the marketing materials to help share the details of this program and ensure its success.
For questions, please contact AFSAHQ Member & Field team at 800-638-0594 x 288.
Please Update Your Contact Information Today!
Dear Air Force Sergeants Association Member,
In order for the AFSA to effectively communicate with our members, it is essential to ensure we have your current and / or valid e-mail address. We are in the process of updating our records and need your help! Please take a moment to ensure that we have your most current mail and email address (no .mil's); and accurate membership listing information.
We've made it easy, as you can update your information in either one of three ways:
Call Member & Field Relations team directly at 800-638-0594 x 288 (Mon. - Fri. 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (EST)
Email to: msvcs@hqafsa.org
Visit www.hqafsa.org and select the UPDATE button on the right
We thank you in advance for your support and prompt updates.
In sum, the bill sponsored by the chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee would provide money for the VA to recruit capital asset management specialists for each of its medical facilities while also expanding the composition of the VA's Capital Asset Planning Committee. The bill would also mandate that the VA create plans, budgets, and supervision frameworks for the construction of new facilities and establish timelines for the demolition or repurposing of unneeded and unoccupied structures.
The VA's extensive infrastructure, which consists of more than 6,300 institutions with an average age of 60 years, is managed by a department that lacks knowledge, according to Tester. The BUILD for Veterans Act, introduced by Senator Tester, will "set the VA up for success" by mandating the administration to create a roadmap for modernizing the system, the senator claims.
In addition, according to Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Gilbert Cisneros, Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood-Plus, a Defense Department program that subsidizes child care in private settings that meet state program requirements, will expand to the greater Miami area in September, Texas in October, and Colorado in November.
The announcement comes as more military families struggle with the rising cost of housing and necessities -- the result of a rising inflation rate that hit 9.1% in June. Military advocates say one of the solutions to combating issues like food insecurity or inadequate housing among military families is spouse employment, supported by affordable child care.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, military spouse unemployment or underemployment hovered at 24%; the rate nearly doubled after March 2020, according to a Center for Strategic and International Studies report released in May.
And lastly, For veterans, their families, caregivers, survivors, and our workforce, Dr. Shereef Elnahal's confirmation as the VA's Under Secretary for Health is excellent news, according to VA Denis McDonough. "Dr. Elnahal is a superb leader and clinician, and he will play a crucial part in VA's objective to provide timely access to top-notch medical care to the more than 9 million Veterans we currently serve and the millions more we will serve in the future," said VA.
The Secretary continued, "I also want to congratulate Steve Lieberman, M.D., acting Under Secretary for Health since July 2021. "Steve has been a steady hand helping to provide care to more Veterans than ever before during the pandemic. The VHA's trust ratings soared to 90% during Steve's leadership, weekly home and telehealth visits grew by 1,590%, and more than 4 million Veterans received the COVID-19 shot. Because of Steve's constant devotion and leadership, the VA is substantially better.
In recent months, VA has also added more significant appointments.
And that's the way it is for Thursday, July 28, 2022.
Stay tuned for our next M&G-B, where we will continue to keep you in the loop on all things pertinent to the coronavirus, veterans, active-duty members, guards and reservists, and military family members. Stay happy, and stay healthy!
