Y 4.V 64/3:108-29 FED-DOCS DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS POLICIES HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION JANUARY 28, 2004 Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office CONTENTS Page Bascetta, Cynthia A., Director, Healthcare, Veterans' Health and Benefits Issues, General Accounting Office, accompanied by Jim Musselwhite, As- sistant Director, Healthcare, Veterans' Health and Benefits Issues, General Daigh, Jr., John D., M.D., Assistant Inspector General for Health Care In- spections, Office of Inspector General, Department of Veterans Affairs, accompanied by Victoria Coates, Director, Atlanta Regional Office of Healthcare Inspections, Office of Inspector General, Department of Vet- Prepared statement and supplement to testimony of Mr. Jean Roswell, Robert H., M.D., Under Secretary for Health, Department of Vet- Sabo, Linda, Executive Director, Alzheimer's Association, Western New York "Evaluation of the Veterans Health Administration's Contract Commu- nity Nursing Home Program," prepared by VA Office of Inspector Gen- "Evaluation of the Veterans Health Administration Homemaker and Home Health Aide Program," prepared by VA Office of Inspector Gen- Page DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS POLI CIES AFFECTING THE MILLIONS OF VETERANS WHO WILL NEED LONG-TERM CARE IN THE NEXT TEN YEARS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2004 U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, DC The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 12 p.m., in room 334, Cannon House Office Building, Hon. Chris Smith (chairman of the committee) presiding. Present: Representatives Smith, Stearns, Moran, Baker, Simmons, Miller, Bradley, Beauprez, Renzi, Murphy, Evans, Michaud, Hooley, Strickland, Berkley, Udall, Davis, and Ryan. OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN SMITH The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order, and I want to wish everyone a good afternoon. Our hearing today is focused on a very important part of the VA's mission, caring for older veterans. There is little dispute about the significant growth in the number of aging veterans who will need some sort of medical assistance over the next 10 to 15 years. Despite these clear projections, however, it is not clear whether or how the VA will meet this challenge. Last year, planners in the Veterans Health Administration compiled a national assessment of veterans' future demand for VA health care services and the facilities needed to deliver those services. To the dismay of many of us, the VHA CARES plan contains not a single proposal to deal with veterans' long-term care needs. VA planners justified this outcome on the basis that VA lacked a reliable planning model. They promised to come up with a plan to meet veterans' long-term care needs at a later date. However, VA prepared and adopted a long-term care planning model in 1997 to help a prestigious federal advisory committee conclude its work on this very topic. Congress and veteran advocates believe it is absolutely critical for the CARES Commission to address this glaring gap in VA's mission planning. And we look forward to reviewing its report next month. În 1999, following the issuance of the Final Report of the Federal Advisory Committee on Long Term Care, Congress enacted legislation consistent with its recommendations to give impetus to VA's efforts to meet the health care needs of older Americans-veterans. (1) |