mrs. kirkpatrick: [speaking oreign language] mr. speaker, i grew up on tribal land, on the white mountain apache where my father ran the general store and my mother was a school teacher, my father spoke apache. my first words were in apache, and it's important that we know that language of our native american tribes addresses their spirituality, their culture and their land. and what i want to talk about tonight is tribal sovereignty, because all of our tribes have their own culture, their own history, their own language. but what they share is a deep respect for tribal sovereignty. and what that means is they are entitled, they have a right to government-to-government negotiations. and so what i want my colleagues to do tonight is do not turn your backs on our native american people. do not turn your backs and shut the door to our tribes. i urge you to push for the inclusion and the respective tribal sovereignty in this legislation and there be abundant government-to-government negotiation. our tribes deserve that, they have that r

mrs. kirkpatrick: thank you, mr. speaker. i urge all of my colleagues to support h.r. 3230. as a member of the conference committee, i pushed for negotiations on this bill to continue because veterans have waited too long for the care they deserve. this bill reflects the comprehensive meaningful reforms that passed the senate and that i introduced as the companion bill in the house. this bill ensures that rural veterans who live too far from a veterans' medical facility and veterans who have waited too long for an appointment can see a provider closer to home. for the tribal veterans in my district, this bill strengthens the relationship between the veterans administration and the indian health services. this bill also ensures that the veterans administration can quickly hire more doctors, nurses and medical professionals. and this bill gives the veterans administration secretary the authority to hold v.a. employees accountable. our veterans deserve world-class health care, and a v.a. that puts veterans first. i believe this bill provides the foundation to do just that. agai

mr. kirkpatrick. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i recently attended a veterans standown in phoenix, a one-stop shot, services our veterans need. they have all kinds of things going on, thousands of people there. off to the side was a room. i looked in, there were veterans sitting there with needles in their ears, the back of their neck. they were receiving acupuncture. i was curious. person delivering acupuncture is volunteering time to be there. to a person, every veteran i talked to said they benefit freddie acupuncture, helped relieve stress, anxiety, asked me to advocate it be an approved treatment in the v.a. system. i'm doing that. but my question -- i didn't ask whether it was a pts diagnosis. clearly some in the room did, every one benefiting from the treatment. my first question to every panel was this, do you think acupuncture should be an option within the v.a. for medical treatment for every veteran starting with dr. sherin. >> i believe strongly in alternative approaches for mental health issues and pain. substance abu

mr. kirkpatrick? >> thank you, mr. chairman. i want to join in the comments made by senator mccain this really is about taking care of our veterans. that's the focus. i know everybody here, that's what they care about and i agree they have to continue talking and continue the dialogue because that's how we get things done. >> let may sure, miss kirk kirkpatrick, i appreciate your teapedance here this afternoon, this was not a take or leave it. this was an attempt for us to make a public offer and dialogue will continue. senator rubio? >> i want to take a minute to brag on you. we're proud of the work you're doing. you're from florida. i'm proud of the work everyone here is doing. i believe this conference committee is comprised of individuals that are very serious about bringing this to a atisfactory. and it's unimaginable for any of us to believe we will go home next thursday or friday to have recess and this issue unresolved. i think it would be viewed as unacceptable. not just by our constituents in florida but across the cou

mr. kirkpatrick. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i recently attended a veterans standown in phoenix, a one-stop shot, services our veterans need. they have all kinds of things going on, thousands of people there. off to the side was a room. i looked in, there were veterans sitting there with needles in their ears, the back of their neck. they were receiving acupuncture. i was curious. person delivering acupuncture is volunteering time to be there. to a person, every veteran i talked to said they benefit freddie acupuncture, helped relieve stress, anxiety, asked me to advocate it be an approved treatment in the v.a. system. i'm doing that. but my question -- i didn't ask whether it was a pts diagnosis. clearly some in the room did, every one benefiting from the treatment. my first question to every panel was this, do you think acupuncture should be an option within the v.a. for medical treatment for every veteran starting with dr. sherin. >> i believe strongly in alternative approaches for mental health issues and pain. substance abu

mr. kirkpatrick you are recognized. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i would like to start by thanking our whistle blowers having to courage come forward when you witnessed wrongdoing. i asked you to come testify and i know you risked your career to report wrongdoing and suffered repeated retaliation from administrators who refused to do the right thing. by bravely stepping forward dr. mitchell and dr. foot made us aware of the va problems in phoenix that led to tdata on th wait time. without whistle blowers we were motable to identify many of the problems and now because of them we can work to fix them. half of the retaliation cases involve the va. the bullying of patients and va employees that report wrongdoing must stop now. i sent a letter to acting secretary gibson last month asking him to remind all va employees as their rights as whistle blowers. it isn't enough they are informed of their rights the va must deliver a culture of zero tolerance for whistle blower retaliation at all levels of its organization. employees shouldn't be afraid of ruini

mrs. kirkpatrick, you're recognized. >> i appreciate what you said about once a diagnosis is made, and medication is prescribed, staying on that, on that medication. and i'm really want to know how often our veterans have to refill the prescriptions, and i would like to hear from each of you what you've learned about that experience, are you given a 30-day supply, they have to go back constantly back, or on sergeant, we can start with you and then work our way down the panel. >> yes, ma'am. so at our facility in washington state, medications are given on a 30-day supply. there is an option for mail refills. the system is pretty confusing and i normally mess it up pretty well, so my wife has to manage that for me for most part. you have to be able to put in a request three weeks before you need it, and i usually forget until i'm about to run out and so then i'm off my meds for a long period of time, which is never good. as far as the other medication issues that have been discussed, continuity of medications from one facility to the next. i'm in southern part of washington state, and people who ar

mrs. kirkpatrick, you're recognized. >> i appreciate what you said about once a diagnosis is made, and medication is prescribed, staying on that, on that medication. and i'm really want to know how often our veterans have to refill the prescriptions, and i would like to hear from each of you what you've learned about that experience, are you given a 30-day supply, they have to go back constantly back, or on sergeant, we can start with you and then work our way down the panel. >> yes, ma'am. so at our facility in washington state, medications are given on a 30-day supply. there is an option for mail refills. the system is pretty confusing and i normally mess it up pretty well, so my wife has to manage that for me for most part. you have to be able to put in a request three weeks before you need it, and i usually forget until i'm about to run out and so then i'm off my meds for a long period of time, which is never good. as far as the other medication issues that have been discussed, continuity of medications from one facility to the next. i'm in southern part of washington state, and people who ar

mrs. kirkpatrick, you're recognized for five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. secretary, thank you for being here today. on monday i was out on the navajo nation in my district and talking with lots of folks and we had a lot of veterans. many of them live in areas with no cell phone coverage or broadband coverage. i know one of your goals is to expand telemedicine and that's a great opportunity for my district. but my first question is, in your budget, did you have money for expanding broadband infrastructure in those areas where we have veterans who have no access? >> i think it's one of the things we need to look at. in the supplemental we did have request for i.t. to include hardware and bandwidth for expanded care. i think we need to look at that specifically. i don't want to give you a false answer. >> and i'd love to be part of that conversation as we continue on because it's going to be so critical to getting them the care they need. my other question is for the secretary. you know, the inspector general's reports have been very valuable to this committe

mrs. kirkpatrick, you're recognized. >> i appreciate what you said about once a diagnosis is made, and medication is prescribed, staying on that, on that medication. and i'm really want to know how often our veterans have to refill the prescriptions, and i would like to hear from each of you what you've learned about that experience, are you given a 30-day supply, they have to go back constantly back, or on sergeant, we can start with you and then work our way down the panel. >> yes, ma'am. so at our facility in washington state, medications are given on a 30-day supply. there is an option for mail refills. the system is pretty confusing and i normally mess it up pretty well, so my wife has to manage that for me for most part. you have to be able to put in a request three weeks before you need it, and i usually forget until i'm about to run out and so then i'm off my meds for a long period of time, which is never good. as far as the other medication issues that have been discussed, continuity of medications from one facility to the next. i'm in southern part of washington state, and people who ar

mrs. kirkpatrick: mr. speaker, i rise today to commemorate manuel mendoza. an american hero who was born in my arizona district. and to urge support for my bill to rename the united states post office in miami, arizona, in his honor. staff sergeant mendoza was born in 1922 in the eastern arizona mining town of moifment at the age of -- miami. at the age of 20 he was drafted into the united states army where he was nicknamed the arizona kid for his heroism in battle. staff sergeant mendoza posthumously received the medal of honor for is single-handedly repelling a 1944 german assault on itsly's mount during world -- in italy during world war ii. that afternoon the germans launched a fierce counterattack against allied forces, but due to staff sergeant mendoza's determination, bravery and selflessness, he was able to kill 30 enemy troops and successfully defend the allied position. later in his service, he went on to fight in korea. after retiring from the armed forces, mr. mendoza returned to mesa, arizona, where he died in 2001. he is survived by his wife an

mrs. kirkpatrick: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, mr. barber, for yielding time to me. i support this motion to instruct the conferees. the senate amendments go beyond a short-term solution to solving the patient access at the v.a. as a member of the conference committee, i continue to push for the provisions in the senate amendment because they are good for veterans and their families. we must seize this opportunity to pass meaningful reforms at the v.a., our veterans and their families deserve better than piecemeal, short-term fixing. especially with report after report of veterans struggling to receive timely care and benefits. and struggling to find good paying jobs. one provision in the senate amendment will give post-9/11 g.i. benefits to surviving spouses of service members who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country. we cannot forget about surviving spouses. a surviving spouse struggles with the loss of a loved one and often struggles with a financial loss that can make it difficult to provide for the family left behind. service members are able to tra

mrs. kirkpatrick: i want to thank you for this motion to instruct to. i urge all my colleagues to support this motion to instruct the conferees. both the senate and the house amendments will expand access to non-v.a. care for veterans but this program will only last for two years. it will only address the current emergency by ensuring those veterans who are waiting too long for appointments receive timely care. f we do not address the v.a.'s doctor, nurse and medical support staff shortage now, we will face the same crisis again in two years. just yesterday i learned that the one physician serving the community-based outpatient clinic in flagstaff, arizona, where i live, is leaving and there is no physician identified as his replacement. in another v.a. clinic in my district, the one doctor there is planning to retire without a replacement doctor identified. our rural veterans struggle to access care, and v.a. hospitals and clinics must be able to recruit and retain doctors and nurses to serve veterans in rural and underserved communities. currently, 10

mr. chairman, i yield back. >> you are recognized -- i apologize, ms. kirkpatrickyou are recognized for five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i want to thank all of you for your courage and being here today. i appreciate what you said about once a diagnosis is made and medication is prescribed staying on that medication. i really want to know how often our veterans have to refill those prescriptions and i would just like to hear from each of you what you have learned about that experience. are they given a 30-day supply, they have to go constantly back, sergeant, can we start with you and work our way down the panel. >> yes, ma'am. so at our facility in washington state, medications are given on a 30-day supply. there is an option for mail refills. the system is pretty con fusing and i formally mess it up pretty well so my wife has to manage that for me for the most part. you have to be able to put in a request three weeks before you need it and i usually forget untim

mr. chairman. i yield back. >> thank you, very much. ms. kirkpatrick, you're recognized for five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i'd like to start by thanking our whistle blowers for having the courage to come forward when you witnessed wrongdoing. i would particularly like to recognize dr. kathryn mitchell. i asked you to come and testify before our committee. i know that you've risked your career to report wrongdoing and suffered repeated retaliation from administrators who refuse to do the right thing so thank you. by bravely stepping forward dr. mitchell and dr. foote made congress, the i.g. and others aware of the problem in the va. unfortunately, without whistle blowers we were unable to identify many of the problems in the va. because of whistle blowers, we can now work to fix them. it is unacceptable and reprehensible that almost half of the office of special counsel's whistle-blower retaliation cases involve the va. the the bullying of patients and va employees that report wrongdoing must stop now. i sent a letter to acting secretary gibson last month asking him to remind all va employees of

mrs. somers. >> yes, thank you. and thank you, representative kirkpatrick, for being such a support and a help for us. there is multiple issues that have to do with the medications. just the fact that the form larries are not the same is a huge issue. it just doesn't affect veterans at the v.a. system. there are veterans who are retired from the military who see both -- who see physicians both at the v.a. and the d.o.d. so they are seeing people at both different medical centers and they cannot be on similar medications from one to the other because the formlaries are not the same. the problem is not only does the v.a. use 99% generics, but they use the cheapest generics. so daniel who had not only ptsd and t.b.i., but full-blown gulf war syndrome which included irritable bowel had only certain medications that he could tolerate. so maybe the chemical in the medication is the the same, but the bonding agent is different. maybe he is on a medication that he only has to take once or twice a day, but the v.a. gets a better price, so now he has to take it three or four times a day. and the change in the m

kirkpatrick, you are recognized for five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. secretary, thank you for being here today. on monday i was out on the navajo nation in my district and talking with lots of folks. many of them live in areas with no cell phone coverage and broad band coverage. i know one of your goals is to expand telemedicine. in your budget, do you have money for expanding broad band infrastructure in those areas where we have veterans who have no access? >> i think it's one of the things we'll have to look at. in the supplemental requests we did have additional support for it to include hardware and band width for expanded care but i think we need to look at that specifically. i don't want to give you a false answer. >> i would love to be part of that conversation as we continue on because it's going to be so critical to getting them the care they need. my other question is is for the secretary. i mean, you know, the inspector general's reports have been very valuable to this committee in trying to unravel the problems at the v.a. and come up with

kirkpatrick, you are recognized for five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. secretary, thank you for being here today. on monday i was out on the navajo nation in my district and talking with lots of folks. many of them live in areas with no cell phone coverage and broad band coverage. i know one of your goals is to expand telemedicine. in your budget, do you have money for expanding broad band infrastructure in those areas where we have veterans who have no access? >> i think it's one of the things we'll have to look at. in the supplemental requests we did have additional support for it to include hardware and band width for expanded care but i think we need to look at that specifically. i don't want to give you a false answer. >> i would love to be part of that conversation as we continue on because it's going to be so critical to getting them the care they need. my other question is is for the secretary. i mean, you know, the inspector general's reports have been very valuable to this committee in trying to unravel the problems at the v.a. and come up with