A measure addressing hiring practices within the Veterans Administration passed the U.S. House on Thursday.
The provision, championed by U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, was included as part of the military construction and veterans affairs appropriations bill.
Herrera Beutler said she hopes it shortens the amount of time veterans wait to receive health care.
In Vancouver, for example, the local Veterans Administration clinic has positions for 16 primary care physicians, but only 11 physicians on staff. The staffing shortage translates into 10 percent of veterans waiting 30-plus days for health care appointments, according to information from Herrera Beutler’s office. The measure requires an investigation into the hiring process at the health clinics.
“The (Veterans Administration) can’t provide efficient, quality care to Southwest Washington veterans when it is chronically turning over its staff of care providers,” Herrera Beutler said in a statement. “The VA insists it is concerned about wait times, but until it fixes the problems that are causing high staff turnover and sluggish recruiting of primary care providers, it won’t make the progress our veterans deserve.”
Over in the Senate, a measure aiding veterans struggling to start a family also passed Thursday.
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., advocated for allowing the Veterans Administration to cover the costs of in vitro fertilization.
While speaking in favor of the provision, Murray told stories of veterans who had been injured and had difficulty conceiving naturally.
“Matt Keil was shot by a sniper and paralyzed. Kevin Jaye was injured by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. Tyler Black was paralyzed during a firefight. And what was the one thing each veteran wished for after he returned home and got out of the hospital?” Murray said. “Like so many young men and women in this country, they dreamed of having a family of their own.”
Medical technology could give them that dream, Murray said, but the Veterans Administration has been barred from covering the costs of in vitro fertilization.
The spending bill that passed the Senate would change that. It also includes money for mental health services and money to provide child care at Veteran Administration facilities.
