Teresa Morris, Director, Advocacy & Government Relations

Greetings NOVA Members –

I write this from my home in Maryland as we are now on a continued stay at home order due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.  I want to commend all of you – VA nurses and healthcare professionals – for what you do and are doing every day to take care of those in your care. It cannot be understated that you are all the Heroes and Warriors of this crisis.

I want to assure you that I am in constant contact with Hill staff (primarily VA Committee) and Veterans Service Organization representatives during this time so that NOVA is represented and provided important information. Congress and staff are working from home but remain busy working on legislative priorities and of course making sure VA has guidance and what it needs to continue its mission. VA is part of the country’s  emergency preparedness team and must be ready should their 4^th mission be activated. The 4^th mission is described as ensuring continued service to Veterans, while supporting national, state, and local emergency management, public health, safety and homeland security efforts.

On March 23, VHA Office of Emergency Management posted an updated report on its COVID-19 Response Plan.  It can be found here: https://www.va.gov/opa/docs/VHA_COVID_19_03232020_vF_1.pdf

NOVA posted its own statement on the virus as well, providing our views on the importance of ensuring VA nurses across the country have the resources needed to protect themselves and the Veterans they serve. We also included some of the priorities we share with the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) and the need for all of us to remain vigilant in ensuring VA can continue to carry out its most sacred mission.

The statement can be found on the front of the NOVA website: https://www.vanurse.org/news/497045/NOVA-Nurses-Remain-Vigilant-During-Pandemic.htm

I urge you to watch the NOVA website as we will continue to provide important information/ links to valuable resources that are reliable and accurate.

As we go through the next weeks and months, I encourage all of you to keep a close eye on our advocacy efforts by visiting the NOVA’s website and watching our Social Media accounts – information and updates on the pandemic and nationwide efforts are critical to all of us. If you have something that you want to relay to your Member of Congress or staff, please do – they need to hear from you.

I believe that we will get through this and be able to look at data and lessons learned which in the turn will make us all stronger and more prepared as a nation. I am hopeful that VA will remain the model for all healthcare delivery. It is because of all of you, and what you provide every day for Veterans, and the communities in which you serve that VA remains at the center of healthcare in this nation.   

Stay Tuned!

NOVA awards and honors individuals and/or groups who have made significant contributions to the Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs, the nursing profession, the health care of Veterans, or in service to our country.  

All awards nominations must be submitted via NOVA's online submission forms. Click on the awards listed below for more information and to submit a nomination. Be sure to read each question carefully and provide a brief but descriptive response. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Current members of the national NOVA Board of Directors and previous NOVA Award Recipients are not eligible to receive awards. Current members of the NOVA Awards Committee are not eligible to submit a nomination.

Learn more about the award criteria and submit nomination here https://www.vanurse.org/page/NOVAawards

NOVA’s 26th Annual Legislative Roundtable

NOVA’s 26th Annual Legislative Roundtable was held Friday, March 6, 2020 at DAV Headquarters in Washington, DC.  Participants were welcomed by Kelly Skinner, DNP, APRN, NP-C, GNP-BC, CRRN, WCC, CFCN, NOVA President. Michelle Salazar, RN, BSN, NOVA’s Legislative Co-Chair, presented NOVA’s legislative agenda, followed by presentations from staff from the Office of Nursing Services (ONS) in the Department of Veterans Affairs, representatives from Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs), national nursing organizations, and Congressional legislative staff members.  The following topics were discussed:

• Ensuring adequate budget for VA providing critical funding for VISNS and Medical Centers; support the Independent Budget 

• Optimizing VA resources to affect and achieve value in models of care

• Supporting appropriate funding for Community Care

• Maximizing Veteran access to care through effective use of technology, efficient clinical practice, and role enhancement for nursing personnel

• Monitoring implementation of VA Mission Act and Community Care Network

• Requiring training, competency, and quality standards for Community Care Network providers equal that for VHA providers

• Implementing care coordination system allowing Veterans to easily return to VA when resources are available

• Enhancing women Veterans’ care, including providers, and benefits

• Ensuring VA spaces are safe for women

• Improving access to mental health care and addressing suicide prevention

• Improving Post 9/11 GI Bill

• Supporting use of cannabis for Veterans

• Supporting pain management for Veterans

• Ensuring Veterans exposed to toxic substances receive care and benefits

• Ensuring access to opioids for Veterans who need it

• Improving access

• Ensuring staffing levels affecting community care referrals and coordination are met

• Monitoring caregiver expansion

• Promoting and addressing social determinants of health

• Providing safe staffing 

• Elimination of mandatory overtime

• Monitoring VA’s staffing as the backup to national emergencies

• Ensuring legislation to support critical patient safety updates

• Monitoring proposed changes in telehealth legislation

• Monitoring VHA’s electronic health record and ensuring that both Veterans and staff members are being heard

• Championing palliative care

• Ensuring implementation of Full Practice Authority for Advanced Practice Nurses

• Removing barriers for Advanced Practice Nurses to certify patient eligibility for home health services, as well as cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services

• Monitoring identification of sex trafficking

• Increasing diversity in nursing

• Fostering interprofessional collaboration

• Updating qualification standards for advanced practice registered nurses

• Implementing full practice authority for CRNAs

• Providing funding for education for all APRNs similar to providers

• Providing necessary resources to combat Corona virus

• Monitoring modernization and restructuring of VHA, including connection of policy and operations

• Providing ongoing training for VHA personnel and community providers to improve coordination of care, decreasing fragmentation of care, understanding of military culture, and healthcare needs across all VISNs

• Improving custodial assistance in VA facilities to free nurses from cleaning responsibilities

• Support Title VIII funding providing stable, sufficient funding for nurse education programs

• Expanding VANAP programs to train more students in VA facilities

• Recruiting and retaining a highly qualified nursing workforce with appropriate budget to support modern staffing models

• Offering career advancement and growth opportunities for all levels of nursing within VA to retain a highly qualified workforce

• Ensuring Human Resources (HR) has essential staff to review and streamline policies and procedures to improve efficiency and speed of the hiring process

• Mandating training for all HR personnel on use of Locality Pay, and Congressional authorizations to improve hiring process

• Monitoring HR centralization at the VISN level

• Monitoring VA’s use of hiring authorities

• Increasing salary caps and supporting competitive wages for all levels of nursing

• Giving back collective bargaining rights

• Lengthening timeline for giving second chances due to minor mistakes

Congressional legislative staff members attending included Shauna Rust, Policy Assistant, Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs; Christine Hill, Minority Staff Director, Subcommittee on Health, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs; Sara Dean, Majority Professional Staff Member, Subcommittee on Health, House Veterans Affairs Committee; and Heather O’Beirne Kelly, Majority Professional Staff Member, Subcommittee on Health, House Veterans Affairs Committee. Representatives from Veterans Service Organizations included Marquis Barefield, Assistant National Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans; Heather Ansley, Paralyzed Veterans of America; Travis Horr, Director of Government Relations, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America; and Rene Campos, CDR, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Senior Director, Government Relations, Military Officers Association of America.

Staff from the VA Office of Nursing Services included Beth Taylor, DHA, RN, NEA-BC, Chief Nursing Officer and Karen Ott, DNP, RN, Director for Policy and Legislation.  Representatives from professional nursing organizations included Peter Kallio, President, Association of VA Nurse Anesthetists; Diane Boettger, MHS, APRN, CRNA, Executive Director, Association of VA Nurse Anesthetists; Matthew Thackston, American Association of Nurse Anesthetists; Elliott Vice, Director, Government Affairs, National Council of State Boards of Nursing; Sam Hewitt, Senior Associate Director, Policy & Government Relations, American Nurses Association; Clare Chmiel, Senior Government Affairs, Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association; Claudio Gualtieri, JD, Senior Strategic Policy Advisor, Center to Champion Nursing in America/AARP; Tamara Borchardt, DNP,  WHNP-BC, Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health; Jo Ann Webb, RN, MHA, FAAN, Vice President, Federal Relations and Policy, American Organization of Nursing Leadership; Frank Purcell, Representative, Academy of Medical Surgical Nurses; Colleen Leners, DNP, APRN, Director of Policy, American Association of Colleges of Nursing; Diane Padden, PhD, CRNP, FAANP, American Association of Nurse Practitioners; Alec Stone, Public Affairs Director, Oncology Nursing Society; and Dave Mason, Federal Policy Consultant, National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Marilyn Park represented the American Federation of Government Employees.

NOVA on the Hill Day Scholarship Recipients

NOVA awarded two scholarships in the amount of $250 each to provide support to two NOVA nurses to attend NOVA on the Hill Day on March 5, 2020 in Washington D.C. Congratulations to the 2020 NOVA on the Hill Day Scholarship Recipients: Ashley N. Jones and Steven D. Powell! Ashley works at the VA Maryland Healthcare System and Steven works at the Michael E. Debakey VA Medical Center. Enjoy their testimonials below.

Ashley N. Jones, MS, BSN, RN, OCN, CHPN

2020 NOVA on the Hill Day Scholarship Recipient

VA Maryland Healthcare System, Baltimore, MD

“Attending the 2020 NOVA Hill Day was one of the best days in my career as a VA nurse. The day began with meeting Congresswoman Lauren Underwood who answered questions and was very informative. I was able to meet with my Senator’s staff and discuss and advocate for issues that affect Veterans in Maryland and Veterans overall. I plan to use this experience to advocate for Veterans on the state and federal level. I will continue to advocate for the passing of the H.R. 647, Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act. This bill will increase hospice and palliative care education of all healthcare providers. I will return to NOVA Hill Day in the future to advocate for exceptional care for Veterans as well as optimal staffing for VA nurses. I plan to network with my fellow VA nurses from different states. It is beneficial to talk with nurses from different states to receive input and feedback to develop ideas for my local facility. Again, I am grateful for the opportunity and will see you next year!”

Steven D. Powell, MSN, BSN, BA, RN-BC

2020 NOVA on the Hill Day Scholarship Recipient

Michael E. Debakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX

"I plan on using the experience from NOVA to share with my colleagues in Houston and the general public what NOVA’s Legislative Priority Goals are and the importance of contacting their representatives in Congress. Now that I have met with various individuals who handle this legislation, I know exactly who to contact when bills begin to get developed and introduced for a vote. The whole experience was absolutely wonderful! Getting to meet and network with fellow nurses passionate about advocacy from across the country was absolutely inspiring. Plus, as a millennial nurse, I was blown away that the day got kicked off with the first elected millennial nurse to Congress, U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood, joining us for breakfast. It is my hope to attend every NOVA on the Hill Day after this. For anyone that hasn’t been, do yourself a favor and plan on going to this awesome experience!"