VETERANS’ BILL: Measure Will ‘Halt the Erosion’ of LTC

      The House on Tuesday evening passed 369-46 a measure that would require the VA to provide more long term health care for the nation's veterans, Foster's Daily Democrat reports. If approved by the Senate and signed by President Clinton, the measure would give veterans who have earned the Purple Heart better access to health care that previously was offered only to former prisoners of war. If enacted, the bill would allow the VA to issue grants to help homeless veterans, provide primary coverage for dependents of veterans, reimburse veterans for emergency room treatments and provide counseling for veteran victims of sexual trauma. It would also earmark money for medical construction at VA facilities in Orlando and Kansas City, as well as the leasing of new facilities in Lubbock, TX and San Diego. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), said, "We need to put a halt to the erosion of the Veterans Administration's long term health care," adding, "The new millennium should not become a source of fear or concern for our nations's veterans" (Schultz, 10/20).