This week, I got the latest version of Rep. Mark Amodei’s News from the Hill newsletter in which he boasts of activity he and other GOP colleagues worked on to pass this week:
“It is unacceptable that after years of problems at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA), our veterans are still not receiving the care they need. While the Administration has failed to hold the VA accountable, the House remains committed to fixing the problems at the VA by passing meaningful reforms. With my support this week, the House passed the VA Medical Center Recovery Act (H.R. 3234), the VA Provider Equity Act (H.R. 3016), the Female Veterans Suicide Prevention Act (H.R. 2915), the Construction Reform Act (H.R. 3106), and the American Heroes COLA Act (H.R. 677).
These bills will implement necessary reforms to ensure our Nevada veterans receive the prompt and proper care that they deserve. It is important that we fulfill our commitments.”
Hmmm — he’s awfully proud of his actions and how they’ll definitely provide the support our Nevada veterans deserve. What do you say we start with the bill he calls, the VA Medical Center Recovery Act. Actually HR3234 is fully titled: the “Failed” VA Medical Center Recovery Act. It basically amounts to the equivalent to a VA version of Michigan’s disastrous “emergency manager” act. Don’t believe me? Here, read the summary from Congress.gov:
I don’t know about you, but that looks like an “emergency manager” act that could most likely put the care of our veterans at risk when they decide it’s more important to “cut costs” than to “care for” those who put their lives at risk for the sake of the rest of us.
The next bill he mentioned was the VA Provider Equity Act (H.R. 3016). Does Rep. Amodei have some kind of foot fetish, a foot problem or a relative who’s a podiatrist? The only thing this particular bill does is to include podiatrists within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) definition of “physician,” and to increase their pay grade. He’s been doing everything he can since a member of the NV Assembly and Senate back as far as 2001 to ensure that podiatrists are classified as eligible doctors and paid accordingly.
Bill number 3, the Female Veterans Suicide Prevention Act (H.R. 2915), covers only a limited scope of female veterans who might see suicide as a means of resolving the issues they’re facing:
“Covered veteran” means a veteran who: (1) is enrolled in the VA health care system; (2) is seeking mental health treatment; and (3) in the course of serving in the Armed Forces participated in a sensitive (classified) mission or served in a sensitive unit primarily involved in training for the conduct of, or conducting, special activities or classified missions.
So, if you weren’t involved in some special, classified mission, well, this bill certainly won’t cover the mental health help you might need.
Bill number 4, the Construction Reform Act (H.R. 3106), almost reads like preparations are being made for “charter” hospitals run by “non-VA entities.” That could be my bias working into the reading of that summary, so you might want to read that summary for yourself to see if you get the same vibes.
The last bill he boasted about passing out of the house was the American Heroes COLA Act (H.R. 677). That title kinda makes it sound like their ensuring our “American Heroes” will be provided with a needed cost of living allowance. Well, maybe, sometimes I guess. It basically says:
“Requires that, whenever there is an increase in benefit amounts payable under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall increase by the same percentage the amounts payable as veterans’ disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled adult children, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children.”
So much for any COLA this year. Since Social Security recipients won’t be receiving a COLA adjustment this year, neither will any veterans or their dependents
Wow. I guess those really are some meaningful and necessary reforms for our nation’s vets. (snark)
The classic line at the end of his epistle reads: “To receive updates on what I am doing in Washington and in Nevada’s 2nd District follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube.“ YEAH RIGHT, unless of course, you’re a Democrat who might express a differing view, and then he’ll block you from being able to follow his right wing agenda.
Personally, I’m looking forward to voting for the first ever Democrat to represent us in NV-CD2 on the upcoming November ballot.