For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
December 1, 2004

Statement by the President

December 1, 2004

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

Today, I have signed into law H.R. 3936, the "Veterans Health Programs Improvement Act of 2004." The Act is designed to strengthen the management and administration of health care facilities and programs for our Nation's veterans.

Section 414(e)(4)(D) of the Act requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Secretary) to include, in a written notice of a mission change for any of several departmental medical facilities, an analysis of any alternatives to the mission change proposed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The executive branch shall construe this provision in a manner consistent with the President's constitutional authority to supervise the unitary executive branch and to withhold information the disclosure of which could impair the deliberative processes of the Executive or the performance of the Executive's constitutional duties.

Section 501© of the Act purports to require the Secretary to submit to the Congress recommendations for changes in law in certain circumstances. The executive branch shall implement this provision in a manner consistent with the President's constitutional authority to supervise the unitary executive branch and to recommend for the consideration of the Congress such measures as the President judges necessary and expedient.

GEORGE W. BUSH

THE WHITE HOUSE,

November 30, 2004.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/20...20041201-2.html

THE SHRUB IS ENSURING THAT WHOEVER RUNS THE VA GOES BEFORE THE CONGRESS REPRESENTING "THE SHRUB'S" INTERESTS AND "NOT VETERANS."

NOW WHAT DO I MEAN BY THAT?

THE SHRUB'S PRIORITY IS = TAX CUTS FOR THOSE WHO CONTRIBUTED TO HIS CAMPAIGN. VETERANS DON'T CONTRIBUTE TO HIS CAMPAIGN AND DUBYA IS NOT A VETERAN BY ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION.

THEY STILL CAN'T PROVE WHERE HE WAS FOR SEVERAL MONTHS DURING VIETNAM?

BOTTOMLINE IS THAT WE WARNED THE GOP VETERANS THAT IF BUSH GOT RE-ELECTED THINGS WOULD ONLY GET WORSE FOR VETERANS AND "THE TROOPS" IN IRAQ.

EVIDENCE OF WHAT THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION REALLY THINKS OF "THE TROOPS" AND HOW THEY "SUPPORT THE TROOPS," CONTINUES TO MOUNT.

THIS LATEST ATTACK ON "VETERAN'S BENEFITS" BY BUSH COMES IN THE DECEITFUL GUISE OF H.R.3936 WHICH WAS "ORIGINALLY CALLED:

Title: A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the authorization of appropriations for grants to benefit Homeless Veterans, to improve programs for management and administration of Veterans' facilities and health care programs, and for other purposes.

THEN IT ADDED:
To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the principal office of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims to be at any location in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, rather than only in the District of Columbia, and expressing the sense of Congress that a dedicated Veterans Courthouse and Justice Center should be provided for that Court and those it serves and should be located, if feasible, at a site owned by the United States that is part of or proximate to the Pentagon Reservation, and for other purposes.

CHANGED IN THE SENATE TO:
A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the authorization of appropriations for grants to benefit Homeless Veterans, to improve programs for management and administration of Veterans' facilities and health care programs, and for other purposes.

Amends Federal veterans' administrative provisions to require the principal office of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Court) to be in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. (Currently, such office must be in the District of Columbia.)

Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) a dedicated Veterans Courthouse and Justice Center (Center) should be provided for such Court; and (2) the Secretary of Defense should determine the feasibility of locating the Center at an appropriate site owned by the United States that is part of or proximate to the Pentagon Reservation in Arlington, Virginia.

Requires a joint report from the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs and the Administrator of General Services to the congressional defense and veterans' committees on the feasibility of locating the Center at such a site.

DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU BUT I FOR ONE DON'T APPRECIATE "WORK WITH THE ARMY YOU GOT" GETTING TOO CLOSE TO MAKING DECISIONS ON WHERE THE VETERANS CLAIMS COURT OF APPEALS WILL BE IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

IN FACT, THIS SHOULD BE A RED FLAG FOR ALL THE VETERANS SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS THAT THE PENTAGON IS GETTING INVOLVED AT ALL IN VETERANS CLAIMS APPEALS EVEN IN DECIDING WHERE THE COURT WILL BE

H.R.3936
Veterans Health Programs Improvement Act of 2004 (Enrolled as Agreed to or Passed by Both House and Senate)

PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE TITLE OF THIS SECTION THAT WORRIES THE WHITE HOUSE
SEC. 414. LIMITATION ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MISSION CHANGES FOR SPECIFIED VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION FACILITIES.

(a) Limitation- The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may not implement a mission change for a medical facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs specified in subsection © until--

(1) the Secretary submits to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a written notice of the mission change; and

(2) the period prescribed by subsection has elapsed.

Congressional Review Period- (1) The period referred to in subsection (a)(2) is the period beginning on the date of the receipt of the notice under subsection (a)(1) by the committees specified in that subsection and ending on the later of--

(A) the end of the 60-day period beginning on the date on which the notice is received by those committees; or

( the end of a period of 30 days of continuous session of Congress beginning on the date on which the notification is received by those committees or, if either House of Congress is not in session on such date, the first day after such date that both Houses of Congress are in session.

(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1)(--

(A) the continuity of a session of Congress is broken only by an adjournment of Congress sine die; and

( any day on which either House is not in session because of an adjournment of more than three days to a day certain is excluded in the computation of any period of time in which Congress is in continuous session.

© Specified Facilities- A facility referred to in subsection (a) as being specified in this subsection is any of the following facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs:

(1) The Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers in Boston, Massachusetts.

(2) The Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers in New York City, New York.

(3) The Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Big Spring, Texas.

(4) The Carl Vinson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Dublin, Georgia.

(5) The Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Montgomery, Alabama.

(6) The Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Louisville, Kentucky.

(7) The Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and the outpatient clinic in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

(8) The John J. Pershing Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

(9) The Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

(10) The Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Waco, Texas.

(11) The Jonathan M. Wainwright Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Walla Walla, Washington.

(d) Covered Mission Changes- For purposes of this section, a mission change for a medical facility shall consist of any of the following:

(1) Closure of the facility.

(2) Consolidation of the facility.

(3) An administrative reorganization of the facility covered by section 510( of title 38, United States Code.

(e) Required Content of Notice of Mission Change- Written notice of a mission change for a medical facility under subsection (a) shall include the following:

(1) An assessment of the effect of the mission change on the population of veterans served by the facility.

(2) A description of the availability and quality of health care, including long-term care, mental health care, and substance abuse programs, available in the area served by the facility.

(3) An assessment of the effect of the mission change on the economy of the community in which the facility is located.

(4) An analysis of any alternatives to the mission change proposed by--

(A) the community in which the facility is located;

( organizations recognized by the Secretary under section 5902 of title 38, United States Code;

© organizations that represent Department employees in such community; or

(D) the Department.

(f) Medical Facility Consolidation- For the purposes of subsection (d)(2), the term `consolidation' means an action that closes one or more medical facilities within a geographic service area for the purpose of relocating those activities to another medical facility or facilities.

(g) Coordination of Provisions- In the case of a mission change covered by subsection (a) that is also an administrative reorganization covered by section 510( of title 38, United States Code, both this section and such section 510( shall apply with respect to the implementation of that mission change.

WHEN SHRUB SENDS OUT A STATEMENT SAYING "The executive branch shall construe this provision in a manner consistent with the President's constitutional authority to supervise the unitary executive branch and to withhold information the disclosure of which could impair the deliberative processes of the Executive or the performance of the Executive's constitutional duties.

WHAT HE IS SAYING IS THAT HE WILL WITHHOLD INFORMATION FROM THE CONGRESS AND TAKE UNILATERAL ACTION TO CHANGE THE MISSION AT THESE VA FACILITIES REGARDLESS WHAT THIS SECTION SAYS ABOUT THE VA SECRETARY NOT BEING ABLE TO. NOW WE SEE WHY PRINCIPI WAS CANNED IN FAVOR OF SOMEONE THE NEO-CONS COULD MORE READILY CONTROL

IF YOU ARE A VETERAN WHO USES ONE OF THE ABOVE VA FACILITIES YOU "BETTER" BE ON THE HORN TO YOUR SENATORS AND CONGRESSMAN/WOMEN TO RAISE HELL OR AT LEAST GIVE THEM A HEADS UP THAT THESE FACILITIES ARE IN POTENTIAL JEOPARDY.

TITLE V--PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION

THE SHRUB ALSO INTENDS TURNING THE PILOT PROGRAM TO RECRUIT NURSES FOR THE VA INTO A NEO-CON SHAM WHEN HE RELEASES A STATEMENT THAT SAYS, "The executive branch shall implement this provision in a manner consistent with the President's constitutional authority to supervise the unitary executive branch and to recommend for the consideration of the Congress such measures as the President judges necessary and expedient." BUSH IS SAYING THAT HE NOT THE VA SECRETARY RUNS THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS RECRUTING PROGRAM. PRINCIPI HAS BEEN CANNED AND WHOEVER BUSH HIRED IS ONLY A BOBBING HEAD. .

SEC. 501. PILOT PROGRAM TO STUDY INNOVATIVE RECRUITMENT TOOLS TO ADDRESS NURSING SHORTAGES AT DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HEALTH CARE FACILITIES.

(a) Pilot Program- (1) Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall designate a health care service region, or a section within such a region, in which health care facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs are adversely affected by a shortage of qualified nurses.

(2) The Secretary shall conduct a pilot program in the region or section designated under paragraph (1) to determine the effectiveness of the use of innovative human capital tools and techniques in the recruitment of qualified nurses for positions at Department health care facilities in such region or section and for the retention of nurses at such facilities. In carrying out the pilot program, the Secretary shall enter into a contract with a private sector entity for services under the pilot program for recruitment of qualified nurses.

( Private Sector Recruitment Practices- For purposes of the pilot program under this section, the Secretary shall identify and use recruitment practices that have proven effective for placing qualified individuals in positions that are difficult to fill due to shortages of qualified individuals or other factors. Recruitment practices to be reviewed by the Secretary for use in the pilot program shall include--

(1) employer branding and interactive advertising strategies;

(2) Internet technologies and automated staffing systems; and

(3) the use of recruitment, advertising, and communication agencies.

© Streamlined Hiring Process- In carrying out the pilot program under this section, the Secretary shall, at health care facilities of the Department in the region or section in which the pilot program is conducted, revise procedures and systems for selecting and hiring qualified nurses to reduce the length of the hiring process. If the Secretary identifies measures to streamline and automate the hiring process that can only be implemented if authorized by law, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives recommendations for such changes in law as may be necessary to enable such measures to be implemented.

(d) Report- Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on the extent to which the pilot program achieved the goal of improving the recruitment and retention of nurses in Department of Veterans Affairs health care facilities.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c108...8s0nLMq:e40956:

HERE IS WHAT ONE VETERAN'S BENEFITS ACTIVISTS WROTE ABOUT THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD AT THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND HIS ASSESSMENT OF BUSH'S FOUR PLUS YEARS "SUPPORTING THE VET."

HIS COLUMN APPEARED IN MILITARY.COM, AND IT IS NOT TOO KIND TO THE SHRUB, SO WE KNOW THAT THE RIGHT-WING NUT GOP VETERANS WILL BE HAVING HIS PURPLE HEART OR SILVER STAR OR WHATEVER MILITARY AWARD AND DECORATION HE HAS FOR LUNCH = IF HE HAS ANY.

New VA chief must address issues

December 9, 2004

Opinion By Larry Scott

VA Secretary Anthony J. Principi has resigned. The resignation was made public on Wednesday, December 08, 2004. The letter of resignation was dated November 16, 2004, but withheld by the Bush administration to avoid the appearance of a Cabinet-level "house cleaning" immediately after the election.

Principi is the ninth Cabinet Secretary to leave -- setting a modern-day record for personnel changes at this level. As with most of the other Cabinet resignations, insiders say it was not a true resignation. It appears Principi was forced out to make way for a VA Secretary who would more closely mirror Bush Administration policy. Principi's generic parting statement, being short on specifics for the future, would seem to confirm this. Principi said, "It is now time for me to move on to fresh opportunities and different challenges."

Principi's resignation is being handled in a very low-key manner. A Google search returned just a handful of hits. But, this is very big news to America's 27 million Veterans. The new VA Secretary will be making life-and-death decisions for those Veterans seeking healthcare at the VA.

The question is: What's in store for VA healthcare?

Principi's four-year reign at the VA controls brought massive changes that can only be described as DRACONIAN. Priority Group 8 Veterans were denied enrollment. Co-pays were increased. Means tests eliminated many Veterans from the system or forced them into a "pay for care" status. The now infamous CARES Report closed hospitals and clinics while laying out a 20-year plan to construct more buildings without providing the funding to staff those facilities. And gross under-funding at the healthcare level has forced cancellations of surgeries and critical diagnostic procedures putting the lives of thousands of Veterans at risk.

For the last four years the thrust of VA policy has NOT been proper funding. Instead, incredible amounts of time, energy and money have been spent to find ways to eliminate Veterans from the benefits and healthcare rolls. Will the next four years be any better? That is up to President Bush. He alone holds the power to appoint a VA Secretary who will see to it that ALL veterans receive proper benefits and healthcare.

Will that happen? The White House and Secretary Principi have not supported legislative efforts to provide Full and Mandatory VA Funding, thus taking VA funding out of the discretionary budget and making it part of the mandatory budget process. This would seem at odds with President Bush's promise to "provide more care to more Veterans where they need it the most."

Here is where the Bush Administration goal of smaller government will backfire. Smaller government equals less spending, which equals fewer employees, which equals inadequate healthcare for Veterans. It's time to rethink the concept of smaller government in the context of a VA that provides necessary services for Veterans.

THIS IS WHY IN MY POST ABOVE I NOTE THAT BUSH IS GAINING PERSONAL CONTROL OVER THE RECRUITING AND HIRING OR NURSES PLUS CHANING OF MISSIONS AT SEVERAL VA FACILITIES IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THE STATUS QUO. NOTHING WILL CHANGE OR THINGS WILL GET WORSE.

If the new VA Secretary is just another "Yes-Man," then Veterans would do well to remember the old acronym that artillerymen love to paint on their shells. BOHICA: Bend Over, Here It Comes Again!

But, being an optimist, I wish the new VA Secretary all the best and provide the following task list.

Obtain Proper Funding. Forget the smaller government, lower spending philosophy and stand up and be heard. We can't care for our Veterans without spending the money to do it.

GIVEN THE EVIDENCE IN MY POST ABOVE I'M NOT AS OPTOMISTIC AS SCOTT.

Prioritize Spending. Throw out the CARES Report. Forget new facilities. Staff the buildings now in use by the VA with doctors, nurses, technicians and medical support staff so Veterans do not have to wait months for necessary surgeries and critical diagnostic procedures.

NOW THAT IS THE BRIGHTEST IDEA I'VE HEARD IN OVER FIVE YEARS. IN FACT, RUMMY SAID IT WELL, "WORK WITH THE VA SYSTEM YOU'VE GOT." IMPROVE UPON WHAT YOU HAVE. DON'T BUILD NEW VA FACILITIES. THE VA HAS A NOTORIOUS HISTORIC RECORD OF EVERY TIME IT GETS INVOLVED IN CONSTRUCTON PROJECTS THERE IS CORRUPTION AND KICKBACKS TO UPPER MANAGEMENT THAT GET UNCOVERED THAT BECOMES A SCANDAL, AND THIS TIME WILL BE NO DIFFERENT.

Re-evaluate Need for the VISN System. The VISN system has just created another layer of bureaucratic nonsense that isolates the VA hierarchy from the local hospitals and clinics. Is it needed? No!

Listen to Your Employees. Give them a venue to speak openly without fear of retribution. Let them talk about staff shortages. Let them tell you about Veterans who wait for months and months to get care. Let them tell you about those who die while waiting. It's imperative that you know what they know.

THIS IS THE OTHER BRIGHTEST IDEA I'VE HEARD IN OVER FIVE YEARS IN HOW TO REVAMP THE VA SYSTEM WITHOUT REBUILDING IT.

Listen to the Veterans. Take off your suit and tie. Put on a pair of jeans and a comfortable shirt and fly to Portland. Don't tell the local VA people, just wander in. I'll meet you in the VA hospital canteen and we'll have a coffee or two and chat with the Veterans we meet. You'll learn enough about Veteran's needs in a couple of hours to keep you busy for the next four years. By the way, I'll buy the coffee.

DAMN SHRUB SHOULD HAVE MADE LARRY SCOTT THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, BUT SCOTT'S HEAD PROBABLY DOESN'T BOBBLE.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Since this article was submitted, President Bush has nominated Jim Nicholson to the position of VA Secretary. Mr. Nicholson was the Ambassador to the Vatican and a Veteran. He is the former chairman of the Republican National Committee.

FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE RNC = NOW THAT'S A RELIEF HE'S A GOP VET.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Larry Scott (former E-5) served four-plus years in the U.S. Army with overseas tours as a Broadcast Journalist at AFKN HQ, Seoul, Korea and AFN Lajes Field, The Azores, Portugal and a stateside tour as a Broadcast Journalism Instructor at the Defense Information School (DINFOS). Larry was decorated four times including the Joint Service Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster. He was awarded DOD's First Place Thomas Jefferson Award for Excellence in Journalism. After the Army, Larry went back to radio news, working in Indianapolis as a News Anchor on WIFE Radio and then in New York City as a News Anchor on WNBC Radio. He receives VA compensation for a service-connected disability and uses the Portland, Oregon/Vancouver, Washington VA facilities for healthcare. Today, Larry resides in Southwest Washington and operates the Veteran's help website Your VA Benefits .org. and blogs at vabenes.blogspot.com. To contact Larry Scott email larry@yourvabenefits.org.

http://www.military.com/Opinions/0,,Scott_120904,00.html