Newhouse reintroduces veterans treatment bill

Jan. 17--WASHINGTON D.C. -- Fourth Congressional District Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Yakima, is continuing his push to provide veterans with the best emergency treatment care possible by re-introducing the Veterans Emergency Treatment (VET) Act.

Joining Newhouse in re-introducing the VET Act are original bill cosponsors Reps. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, Walter Jones, R-North Carolina, Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, Pete Olson, R-Texas, Amata Coleman Radewagen, R-Arkansas, and David Young, R-Iowa.

Newhouse initially introduced the bill after news broke of several instances of mismanagement and mistreatment of veterans. One such case was that of 64-year-old Army veteran Donald Siefken, who arrived at the Seattle Veterans Administration in February 2015 and was refused assistance from his car into the emergency room by hospital staff.

"It is unacceptable that any veteran would be denied their request for emergency assistance from the VA," Newhouse remarked. "I will continue to push for legislative reforms to right this wrong on behalf of all veterans who have worn the uniform to serve our country."

In 1986 Congress passed the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), which prohibited hospitals from transferring uninsured patients at public hospitals. A 2007 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) directive stated the VA complies with the requirements set forth in the EMTALA and said VA hospitals are "non-participating" hospitals and therefore not required to comply with EMTALA requirements. The VET Act creates similar requirements to the ones found in the EMTALA for veterans who go to VA hospitals.

"Sometimes it seems the VA is almost incapable of operating with common sense, and the department's maddening mistreatment of veteran Donald Siefken proves it," House Committee on Veterans Affairs Chairman Jeff Miller previously stated. "That's why I am grateful to Rep. Dan Newhouse for his leadership in offering this important legislation that would clarify and strengthen the VA's obligation to provide appropriate emergency care for veterans."

The VET Act does the following:

--Requires VA hospitals to conduct a full medical examination of enrolled veterans and determine if an emergency medical condition is present.

--Requires VA hospitals to either stabilize or comply with statutory requirements of a proper transfer if an emergency medical situation is present.

--States that a VA hospital cannot transfer a patient if an emergency medical condition is present and the patient has not yet been stabilized, unless the patient has been made aware of risks and makes a transfer request in writing or the request is approved by a physician.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.

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