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NOVA: Legislative Agenda and Primary Issues
For 2007 - 2008
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VA Nurse Primary Concern is adequate resources to provide care:
1. Budget: The 2006 membership survey identified patient safety as the legislative issue most important to NOVA members, followed by concerns regarding VA budget. Specific issues are:
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*Pay comparable to the private sector; specific areas of concern are:
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- The pay cap for Nurse V RN's needs to be revised to be equitable to the GS15
- Consistency of data collection among medical centers
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*Nursing shortage -- recruitment and retention of staff. Specific issues are:
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- Need direct hire authority for Nursing Assistants
- Need to eliminate the disparity in cost of health care benefits for part time employees. The current system results in significant financial penalty for working 3-4 days per week with cost of health care benefits exceeding that of the nurse who works 1-2 days per week.
- Restore the Health Professional Scholarship Program (38USC Chapter 76 - Health Professionals Educational Assistance Program, Subchapter II - Scholarship Program).
- Restructure pay grades for RNs from the current 5 grade system to a 7 grade system. This would eliminate the curent compression 3 grades in Nurse 1.
- Revise current legislation governing employee travel pay to allow implementation of a VA Travel Nurse Corps.
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NOVA supports the 2008 Independent Budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs. This includes the following VHA critical issues:
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- Recommended appropriation of 36.3 billion to include enrollment for Priority 8 Veterans
- Reform VA funding from discretionary to full mandatory or a combination of discretionary and mandatory.
- Funding for 4 emergency centers to fulfill the VA's 4th mission of homeland security.
- Funding for CARES initiatives to include Long Term Care and Mental Health.
- Seamless Department of Defense to VA transition for servicemen and women separating from active duty.
- Funding to support accountability for performance standards.
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2. OIF/OEF Veterans: As of August 2006, there were 589,000 OIF/OEF veterans who are eligible for VA health care, and 31 percent (184,000) of these individuals have sought some level of care. VA nurses are very concerned that the current budget does not and will not provide adequate resources to provide care for these veterans. Of particular and specific concern is provision of mental health services and continuing rehabilitation services.
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- As of May 15, 2008, the House Veterans Affairs Committee approved 6 health care bills that will expand services for Veterans. The most significant (HR612) would expand the term of free health care from 2 to 5 years for returning OEF/OIF veterans, a change intended to help veterans who have health problems that do not become apparent until well after their military discharge. The bill would apply only to veterans who had combat service during or after the 1991 Gulf War.
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Another bill -- H.R. 2199 would authorize new research centers for traumatic brain injury at health centers operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Link to contact Congress:
www.visi.com/juan/congress/
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