V A Hospital for South Texas

Here we go again.  We are launching another effort through our Senators offices. They have agreed to submit and amendment to the National Defense Authorization Bill pending before Congress.The National Defense bill is set to pass and amendments will also be approved if the amendments are allowed.  It is a long shot, but one that we need to look at.

 Here is the Press Release issued by the Senators.

UNITED STATES SENATE
KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, JOHN CORNYN United States Senators - Texas For Immediate Release	CONTACT: Megan Mitchell (Cornyn) (202) 224-0704 Jeff Nelligan (Hutchison), 202-224-9767 Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Sens. Cornyn, Hutchison Offer Amendment To Bring Inpatient VA Facility To The Valley

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, today offered an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 that would require the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs to incorporate a full-service inpatient health care facility into the existing South Texas Veterans Affairs Health Care Center in Harlingen.

Sens. Cornyn and Hutchison have introduced similar legislation in the past and continue to make the case for a VA inpatient facility in Far South Texas with top-ranking VA officials, as well as the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (see attached). While the Senators have supported and welcomed expansions to outpatient and other services at the existing Harlingen VA facilities, they maintain that access to VA inpatient care still must be provided.

“This holiday season will see the return of tens of thousands of service members from locations across the globe, including the remaining 40,000 troops in Iraq who are winding down our nation’s 9-year mission there. Already, the growing population of 100,000 veterans in Far South Texas lacks adequate access to full-service inpatient health care, and further delay in providing this population with the local inpatient care they deserve is unacceptable. I will not give up the fight to make this inpatient facility a reality for the veterans of South Texas,” Sen. Cornyn said.

“A grateful nation cares for those who have answered the call to serve, even after they leave the battlefield,” said Sen. Hutchison. “The veterans of South Texas answered their nation’s call, and many of them went in harm’s way and risked everything for their country. This amendment will help to ensure that these South Texas veterans receive the care they deserve.”

The hospital issue is not dead. Veterans are still at it. It has been a long sought goal of many veterans and for once they feel that they have had an impact at the national level. Veterans must continue forward.  All veterans that have been active in this movement should re-charge their batteries and once again make an all out push for a VA hospital for the area.  Ana Garcia of  Cornyn’s office has been very aggressive in committing the senator’s office to make every effort to move the issue. Communications with the Senator’s national office are via satellite and those sessions are the next best thing to being there.  Veterans are counting on her continued full support.

Testimony before Defense and Veterans Committee HB 55

April 6, 2011

Five veterans from the valley are traveling to Austin to provide testimony on House Bill 55 as submitted by Rep. Armando Mando Martinez-D-40.  The bill is simple.  It asks that the state of Texas to be allowed to use the Texas Enterprise Fund for veterans hospitals.  The Fund has monies, but veterans cannot tap into it because at the present it is not allowed.  Commissioner Jerry Patterson informed the Veterans Alliance back in October that in order for him to consider any proposals or recommendations that there had to be legislation introduced allowing the Fund to do so.

So far Arturo Treto Garza, Joe Ibarra, Pete Prax Garza, Sisto Barrera, Pete Herrera and Irene T. Garza are going.  A presentation will made and submitted as written testimony.  Ibarra and Garza will sign in and if allowed will present oral testimony.  The testimony to be presented revolves around allowing the Fund to be used to expand the Harlingen Surgical Center to a Full Service Center.

Jeff Milligan has in the past told veterans that they could use monies for ancillary needs.  If the Fund is not allowed to provide funds for construction of a wing, should one be needed, it can help by providing funds for equipment, staffing, beds, etc.  The creation of a Full Service Medical Center will greatly benefit the economic and employment development efforts in south Texas.  The Fund is set up for this purposes of developing economic development and employment patterns.

Some veterans have told me what are we fightng for, that the VA hospital has already been approved.  I am telling everyone that it is not a done deal.  No one at the VA has said that they are going to expand Harlingen to a Full Service Medical Center.  The local folks are the ones that have been promoting this plans and have done it loudly.  BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT IT IS NOT A DONE DEAL!
That is why we have had our Congressmen submit bills to tell VA to do it.  And, veterans asked Mando to file a bill for us at the State Level.  This follows up Proposition 8 (that has no money) and HCR 86 that were approved in 2009.  Proposition 8 became law because it passed by a majority vote at the Election Booth.  HCR 86 memorialized Congress that the state of Texas was in full support of a construction of a VA hospital for south Texas.

The Veterans Alliance voted at a meeting to concentrate on Harlingen being the flagship hospital for the south Texas Health Care System because of the new $40 million building that was constructed.  There is room there and most everyone agrees that it should be further expanded to a Full Medical Service Center.  Veterans must continue their efforts or we will have to wait 10 to 15 years from now, it at all.  We cannot take it for granted that the VA is going to help on their own.  They have not done it in the past 50 years, so don't go trusting them too much.  Elections are coming around and everyone is promising help.  Let us keep all those to their promises.

OPERATION 10,10,10

Rio Grande Valley Veterans of America

 Valley Vets

March 29, 2011

Operation 10, 10,10

We are launching OPERATION 10-10-10 which is essence an effort directed at members of the Veterans Affairs Committees.  We have made little progress and times have changed, but we continue our battle.

Operation 10, 10, 10 has been launched by Rio Grande Valley Veterans to try and get HB 837 and SB 396 passed in Congress.  The wording of each bill in their respective chamber is identical.  They call for an expansion of the Surgical Center in Harlingen to a Full Service Medical Center.

The Operation has 3 phases:

Phase I will consist of veterans targeting 10 members of the House Veterans Affairs Committee.  They will be sending their offices letters asking for support and passage of HB 837 as submitted by Congressman Ruben Hinojosa and Co-Sponsored by Congressmen Henry Cuellar and Blake Farenthold.  This committee has 24 members representing both Political parties and is chaired by Rep. Jeff Miller.

Phase II will be to target 10 members of the House Veterans Affairs sub-committee on Veterans Health.   This Committee has 12 members and its Chair is Rep. Ann Marie Buerkele.

Phase III will be to target 10 members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee asking for support and passage of SB 396.    SB 396 was submitted by Senator John Cornyn and Co-Sponsored by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. This committee has 21 members and its Chair is Senator Patty Murray.

The phonetic pronunciation of the word 10 in Spanish means here, so Operation 10, 10, 10 will be Operation Here, Here, Here.  Veterans feel that our Congressional leaders have not asked these committees to work on the bills and the need for such a facility.

Veterans will be calling on veterans to participate in Operation 10, 10, 10.  If a Veterans Service organization wants more information the group will sent some one to their posts and provide it.  Commanders or Vice Commanders should call Treto Garza at 956.226.9176.

Veterans also ask the community at large to sign an on-line petition at http//:www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/578/551/374.