Teresa Morris, Director, Advocacy & Government Relations

Greetings NOVA Members –

I hope all of you have been able to check out the details of our Virtual Hill Day scheduled for June 10, 2021. NOVA has stepped up its advocacy and will be discussing important issues with members of congress during the day’s events.

For more information and details: NOVA on the Hill Day (vanurse.org)

House and Senate VA Committees continue to move legislation and it looks like some type of Veterans package will be passed prior to Memorial Day.

Many of the bills deal with Veterans exposed to toxic substances which has been called the “Agent Orange” of this generation. The Veterans Service Organization community supports immediate presumption of exposure for those who have served in Iraq, Afghanistan and other sites where service men and women have been exposed to burn pits and other toxins. VA has asked for more time to study data and details, but many in the Veteran community are warning there is no time to waste for those who have serious illnesses due to exposure to chemicals.

Legislation passed by the House includes bills that would provide equity for all Veterans, improve mental healthcare access, provide COVID-19 relief, strengthen oversight of VA, and expand economic opportunities for Veterans. One bill in particular, H.R. 1948, the VA Employee Fairness Act of 2021, would expand collective bargaining rights for medical professionals at VHA. The bill would ensure that Title 38 healthcare professionals—including nurses, physicians, dentists, and physician assistants have the same workplace rights currently granted to other VA clinicians and federal employees. The bill currently is co-sponsored by 71 members of Congress and is supported by AFGE and National Nurses United.

NOVA has been actively involved in our own conversations with VA Committee staff – we have been discussing pay caps and the need to revise them to end compression between all grades. We believe this will enable VA to recruit and retain healthcare professionals in high-cost areas and continue to provide timely access to high quality care for Veterans.

We continue to voice our support for bills which will improve mental healthcare, vaccine distribution and other issues that are a part of our 2021 Legislative Priority Goals.  The Link to our goals can be found on the NOVA website: 2021_nova_legislative_priori.pdf (ymaws.com)

I ask you to check out the U.S. House and U.S. Senate links on our website as well and talk to your Congressional members about VA issues important to you – and take note of any members in your state that sits on the House and Senate VA Committees. 

The House and Senate VA Committee members can be found at the links below:

Senate VA Committee Members released - list of members:

Committee Members | United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs  

House VA Committee Members list Members | About | The House Committee on Veterans' Affairs  

I look forward to working with all of you and thank you for your continued advocacy on behalf of VA nurses and the communities in which you live.

Stay Tuned!