Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 2792 - Disabled Veterans Service Dog and Health Care Improvement Act of 2001

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

(House)

(Rep. Jerry Moran (R) Kansas and 12 cosponsors)

The Administration has no objection to House passage of H.R. 2792, which would improve services and benefits for veterans. However, the Administration has serious concerns with some of the bill's provisions, and will work with Congress to amend or delete those provisions.

Specifically, the Administration has concerns with provisions in H.R. 2792 that would:

• Require VA to use a specific poverty index for a new geographically based income threshold for determining a nonservice-connected veteran's priority for receiving VA care. Current law establishes, on a national basis, the specific income thresholds that VA uses to determine the enrollment priority group of any given enrollee with no service-connected disability or other special status. While the Administration agrees with the legislation's goal of ensuring that VA services for enrollees are effectively targeted, the Administration has concerns about the substantial cost of the bill's provision for geographically-based income thresholds. This could have an adverse effect on VA's capacity to continue to provide care to the maximum number of veterans.
• Require the creation of a new program to provide chiropractic care. Rather than implement a new program, the Administration would prefer to develop a pilot study to obtain information on the operating characteristics and effects of providing chiropractic services to veterans. The Administration is also opposed to allowing chiropractors to act as primary care providers.