Phil Roe

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), the vice chair and one of the most active members of the committee.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Walorski), the sponsor of the bill and a former member of the committee.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 467, a bill that would codify the VA's own directives for outpatient scheduling into law. In June of 2010, the Veterans Health Administration issued VHA Directive 2010-27, VHA Outpatient Scheduling Processes and Procedures. This directive requires VHA facility directors to annually certify that their facility is in full compliance with the scheduling procedures outlined within the directive. It is important to note that this directive was issued 4 years before the scheduling scandal at the Phoenix VA broke, with no less than 40 veterans dying while being kept on secret lists, waiting for an appointment. I believe this directive was a responsible way for the VA to ensure that veterans were receiving the care that they came to the VA for and were not slipping through the cracks. Unfortunately, in May of 2013, then-Deputy Under Secretary for Health at the VA waived this requirement for the VA medical facility directors to adhere to the directive. As we now know, this waiver helped cover a practice of malfeasance within scheduling departments at VA medical facilities across the Nation. As I mentioned before, in 2014, the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, with my friend, former Chairman Jeff Miller at the helm, discovered secret waiting lists at the Phoenix VA, as well as many other medical centers across the country. Had this directive still been in place, I honestly believe the scandal could have been prevented. Mr. Speaker, it is incumbent upon us to ensure that these scheduling processes do not and cannot be dismissed by VA bureaucrats ever again. I thank my good friend and former committee member, Representative Jackie Walorski from Indiana, for sponsoring this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 467, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1005) to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the provision of adult day health care services for veterans.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 1005, a bill to improve the provision of adult day healthcare services for veterans. Last year, the Department of Veterans Affairs testified that 9.8 million veterans, or 46 percent of the veteran population, will be 65 years of age or older in 2017. Given that, the need to ensure that veterans have ready access to a variety of geriatric and long-term care services and supports is an increasingly important component of the VA's mission. Current law requires the VA to cover the cost of nursing home care in a State Veterans Home for any veteran in need of such care due to a service-connected disability or with a service-connected disability rating of 70 percent or more. That authority is incredibly important and has helped thousands of our veterans get the nursing home care they need. However, there is an increasing demand for VA to offer geriatric and long-term care programs in noninstitutional settings that would allow aging veterans to receive needed services and supports while remaining in their homes surrounded by their loved ones. To that end, H.R. 1005 would require VA to enter into an agreement or a contract with State Veterans Homes to pay for adult day healthcare for a veteran who is eligible for but not receiving nursing home care. Adult day healthcare programs are a popular alternative to nursing home care that provide veterans in need of case management, assistance with activities of daily living, or other supportive services with companionship, peer support, recreation, and certain healthcare services. They also provide needed respite for caregivers. By requiring VA to cover the cost of adult day healthcare programs at State Veterans Homes for veterans who would otherwise qualify for VA- paid nursing home care, H.R. 1005 would expand access to this type of care, which has been shown to maximize a veteran's independence and quality of life and to extend an aging veteran's ability to remain at home, which I think we would all want to do. This bill has the support of the National Association of State Veterans Homes, The American Legion, the Disabled American Veterans, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. I am grateful to my friend and former committee member, Lee Zeldin from New York, for sponsoring this legislation and for shepherding it to the House floor. I look forward to working with him and our colleagues in the Senate to secure a quick passage over there as well. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1005, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Zeldin) who is a former member of our committee and sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2288) to amend title 38, United States Code, to reform the rights and processes relating to appeals of decisions regarding claims for benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to support H.R. 2288, as amended. First, I want to thank the Disabilities Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee Chairman Bost and Ranking Member Esty for their hard work in bringing H.R. 2288 to the floor. I also want to thank every member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, both Republican and Democrat, who all are original cosponsors of this bill. The committee has been working on overhauling the VA's appeals process, which was established back in 1933. The problem is that the current system is slow, cumbersome, frustrating, and full of bureaucratic red tape. As a result, there are currently 470,000 veterans, many of whom may have been injured in the line of duty, who are waiting for a decision on their appeal. Many of these folks have been waiting for more than 5 years, and veterans are filing more appeals every day. Last year, VA Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson testified that if Congress doesn't pass reform soon, by 2027, veterans may have to wait as long as 10 years to get a decision on their appeal. Think about that. In 2027, men and women who served our Nation may have to wait a decade to get a decision on their appeal. These veterans have bills to pay and families to support. Even worse, they may need medical treatments that they can't get from the VA because their appeal hasn't been decided. Mr. Speaker, one of the dearest friends I have had in my life died a little over 2 years ago, waiting on a decision on an appeal. H.R. 2288 would help streamline the VA's appeals process, while giving veterans more options and protecting their due process rights. This legislation includes a compromise agreement that was reached between VA and the veterans service organizations which passed the House last Congress as part of H.R. 5620. We have added a few improvements since last year. For example, we have expanded the bill to allow some veterans who are currently having pending appeals to opt in to the new system. I really believe that the changes in this bill will make a difference and help expedite the process so that veterans can get a decision on their appeal and then get on with their lives. I am going to pull out all the stops to get this bill on the President's desk as soon as possible. We are talking with our colleagues in the Senate, including Chairman Isakson, Ranking Member Tester, and Senator Blumenthal, to resolve a few minor differences between the House version and the Senate version. The sooner we get this bill passed, the sooner our Nation's veterans will be able to get their decisions on appeal in a timely manner. Veterans deserve no less. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 2288, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material in the Record on H.R. 2288, as amended.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost), chairman of the DAMA Subcommittee.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Dunn), an active member on the committee and a veteran.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Puerto Rico (Miss Gonzalez-Colon), a new member of our committee and the only representative from Puerto Rico.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Costello), a former member of our committee.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I, too, want to echo what Mr. Walz has said. It has been a pleasure to work on this and what has been done in the previous Congress. I think this is one of the most important bills that we voted on in the Veterans' Affairs Committee since I have been in Congress. It is the thing we hear about back home, Mr. Speaker, which is disability claims. I think this actually will speed up that process and adjudicate those claims. I, too, thank all the staff and both subcommittee chairs and ranking members for their hard work. Mr. Speaker, once again, I urge all Members to support H.R. 2288, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1808, the Improving Support for Missing and Exploited Children Act, which improves the Missing Children's Assistance Act. Mr. Speaker, this Thursday is National Missing Children's Day. I can't imagine the pain and suffering that occurs when a child goes missing. I am a proud cosponsor of this legislation, and I am proud of the Committee on Education and the Workforce for its work on this important issue. This legislation strengthens existing efforts to help recover missing children and prevents more children from being victims of abuse and exploitation. This bill also includes a provision to incorporate developing technologies related to the reporting of child exploitation. This provision was a result of an idea shared by a constituent of mine, Michael Reed. His wife was a victim of abuse as a child, and he has devoted his life to making sure other children have a voice and the ability to report the abuse that they are experiencing. I am committed to ensuring that Congress is working to protect these children. Mr. Speaker, I thank both sides of the aisle on the Education and the Workforce Committee, and I encourage all of my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Costello).

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material in the Record on H.R. 1329, as amended.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, Chairman Bost.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 1329, as amended, is one of the most important bills the House will take up this year. This bill will help ensure that the benefits paid to veterans who are disabled as a result of their military service do not lose value because of inflation. H.R. 1329, as amended, authorizes a cost-of-living increase for veterans and their families next year as long as Social Security recipients receive an increase. We pass this bill every year, and it has always enjoyed wide, bipartisan support. This year's bill was introduced by the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Chairman Bost and Ranking Member Esty. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1329, as amended, and help disabled veterans and their families keep up with the rate of inflation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), the vice chairman of our committee.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material in the Record on H.R. 1725, as amended.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 1725, as amended, was introduced by my good friend Mr. Walz, the ranking member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. This bill addresses a very serious issue. When a veteran files a claim for disability benefits, VA may need a medical opinion regarding whether the injury or illness is service connected and, if it is, the extent of the veteran's disability. The problem is that the VA often schedules a medical disability examination when one might not be needed. Many times, a veteran will submit medical evidence from a private doctor with enough information for VA to decide the claim, but we hear about cases where VA still requires a VA examination. Ordering unnecessary disability examinations is a waste of time and resources. It takes doctors away from taking care of their patients and conducting other disability examinations. H.R. 1725, as amended, would require VA to provide reports to Congress about its use of private medical evidence. This information will be used to help us find ways to make the disability examination more efficient for veterans. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1725, as amended. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.