PVA testifies at the September 11 subcommittee on health legislation
By PVA National Staff
On September 11, PVA Associate Legislative Director, Roscoe Butler testified at a House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Health legislative hearing. The pending legislation discussed at this hearing would improve oversight of women veterans’ health care programs, provide vital assistance to help veterans overcome the pain and suffering from domestic violence, enhance VA access and benefits, and increase health care provider staffing levels.
In his written and oral testimonies, Mr. Butler provided examples of the barriers PVA members are encountering when accessing services at VA. Specifically, he mentioned women veterans having to sit in their wheelchairs outside a model three women’s health clinic, because the facility did not have a system in place to alert staff that someone was waiting to gain access into the clinic. He also addressed poorly designed facilities that limited VA’s ability to provide medical care to women with catastrophic disabilities and the lack of appropriate on-site diagnostic equipment to conduct mammography examinations on spinal cord injured veterans. He also noted that identifying these and other barriers that women veterans face is an important first step toward improving the care they receive from VA.
