June 13, 2024

Ranking Member Takano's Opening Statement at Oversight Hearing on Meeting the Needs of the Spinal Cord Injury Veteran Community

WASHINGTON, DC – House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39) delivered the following opening remarks, as prepared, at this morning’s Full Committee Oversight Hearing about meeting the needs of veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCID):

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

I am pleased to be here today to examine how we are meeting the needs of veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders, sometimes referred to as S-C-I-D.  

It is estimated that around a quarter of those with spinal cord injuries and disorders are veterans. Many patients live with the effects of these injuries for decades. It is crucial that VA can provide resources and help meet the needs of veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders at each stage in their lifetime of care.  

This includes access to equipment to assist them with mobility, ensuring a high level of care coordination to provide appropriate care for both preventive and chronic healthcare needs, and access to long-term care in settings that make the most sense for the veteran and their loved ones.  

As you will hear from many of our witnesses today, VA is uniquely positioned among healthcare systems to provide this standard of care. Its hub-and-spoke model is intended to help ensure that veterans are connected to the same high standard of care, regardless of where they live. 

But this doesn’t happen by accident. VA’s position as the best provider of care for veterans with spinal cord injuries relies on continual investments in VA’s infrastructure, workforce, long-term care services and supports, and other benefits for veterans with spinal cord injuries and their caregivers.  

I share the concerns of some of our second panel witnesses about VHA’s ongoing ‘strategic pause’ in hiring, and the impact it is having on staffing and care for veterans with spinal cord injuries. 

The highly specialized training and staffing ratios necessary to provide appropriate care to veterans with spinal cord injuries means that it can be challenging to fully staff VA’s S-C-I-D System of Care. However, workforce shortages lead to beds going unfilled, decreased access to care, and worse outcomes for veterans with spinal cord injuries. We must remain vigilant and ensure that vacancies at S-C-I-D centers are continuously filled.  

Because of the advanced training required of healthcare providers that are caring for veterans with spinal cord injuries, special attention must be paid to bolstering the workforce pipeline. It is vital to ensure VA is training, and retaining, an appropriate workforce for this population. I look forward to discussing ways VA is doing this.  

Improving VA’s infrastructure has long been a priority of mine, but the importance of this goal cannot be overstated when it comes to serving veterans with spinal cord injuries.  

VA must focus on infrastructure projects that build more capacity for S-C-I-D beds and ensure additional access within the hub-and-spoke model. At the same time, many existing VA facilities are in need of repairs or retrofits to ensure they meet the evolving standards of care for S-C-I-D veterans. Meeting these needs will take thoughtful investment and planning, both from Congress and VA. I look forward to working with VA on these vital projects.  

Finally, veterans need to be able to receive care in the venue that best fits their lives and needs. Many veterans rely on Home and Community-Based Services for healthcare and support.  

Through the Veteran Directed Care Program, veterans with spinal cord injuries have the ability to hire their own personal care aides and engage in decisions about their care that ensures it fits their needs and their lives. Most importantly, it is crucial that veterans receive the care they need in the community without being subject to statutory spending caps that could drive them to institutionalized settings of care. 

Congresswoman Julia Brownley’s bill, the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act (H.R. 542), meets these needs. It passed the House in December and I urge the Senate to do the right thing and move it forward. 

I want to thank our witnesses for being here today, and I look forward to hearing from each of you about how we can ensure the well-being of all veterans living with spinal cord injuries. Thank you, again, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.”

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