BILL ANALYSIS
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AJR 71
Author: Wolk (D), et al
Amended: 5/10/04 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE : 7-0, 6/22/04
AYES: Morrow, Denham, Chesbro, Ducheny, Dunn, Soto,
Margett
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 76-0, 5/10/04 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Veterans health care
SOURCE : California Senior Legislature
DIGEST : This resolution requests the President and
Congress of the United States to enact legislation to
provide for a guaranteed level of funding for veteran
health care, and to restore medical benefit eligibility to
veterans in Priority Group 8. It also urges the federal
Department of Veterans Affairs to seek out eligible
veterans to provide them with VA benefits information.
ANALYSIS : Existing law provides for federally funded
health care benefits for veterans of the U.S. armed forces.
Law and regulations establish eligibility criteria and
priority categories for veterans based on income and on the
cause and severity of the veterans injury or illness. The
United States Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) has
CONTINUED
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established eight levels of priority for receipt of DVA
health services. Currently, veterans in Priority Group 8
are not eligible for DVA health care benefits.
This resolution:
1.Makes a series of findings regarding federal health care
programs for veterans.
2.Urges Congress and the President to provide a guaranteed
level of funding for veterans health care.
3.Urges the DVA to restore the benefits to all priority
groups of veterans.
4.Urges DVA to seek out veterans eligible for benefits and
inform them and their families of the programs and
benefits available.
Comments
Under current federal law, the Department of Veterans
Affairs has the responsibility to provide hospital care and
medical services to eligible veterans. However, services
are provided only to the extent that the United States
Congress provides funds to cover the costs of care.
According to the author's office, this discretionary
funding system has created a situation whereby funding has
consistently fallen short of the total needs and has led to
the rationing of health care for veterans.
The federal Veterans Administration presently classifies
enrolled veterans by priority groups with those classified
in the Priority Group 1 have the highest priority for
medical services and care and Priority Group 8 the lowest.
As of January 17, 2003, the federal Veterans Administration
stopped accepting new Priority Group 8 veterans for
enrollment, due to budgetary restraints.
According to the author's office, a number of national
veterans groups recently commissioned a study, which stated
in part, "..it is imperative that Congress make VA
health-care funding mandatory so that enrolled veterans
have access to high quality health-care services in a
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timely manner."
FISCAL EFFECT : Fiscal Com.: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/6/04)
California Senior Legislature (source)
Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States
California State Commanders Veterans Council
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Aghazarian, Bates, Benoit, Berg, Bermudez, Bogh,
Calderon, Campbell, Canciamilla, Chan, Chavez, Chu,
Cogdill, Cohn, Corbett, Correa, Cox, Daucher, Diaz,
Dutra, Dutton, Dymally, Firebaugh, Frommer, Garcia,
Goldberg, Hancock, Harman, Haynes, Jerome Horton, Shirley
Horton, Houston, Jackson, Keene, Kehoe, Koretz, La Malfa,
La Suer, Laird, Leno, Leslie, Levine, Lieber, Longville,
Lowenthal, Maddox, Maldonado, Matthews, Maze, McCarthy,
Mountjoy, Mullin, Nakanishi, Nakano, Nation, Negrete
McLeod, Oropeza, Pacheco, Parra, Pavley, Plescia, Reyes,
Richman, Ridley-Thomas, Runner, Salinas, Samuelian,
Simitian, Spitzer, Strickland, Vargas, Wiggins, Wolk,
Wyland, Yee, Nunez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Liu, Montanez, Steinberg, Wesson
TSM:cm 8/6/04 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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