Gus Bilirakis: “I would merely say that Congress enacted VERA for a very simple reason: equity. No matter where they live or what…”

“I would merely say that Congress enacted VERA for a very simple reason: equity. No matter where they live or what circumstances they face, all veterans deserve to have equal access to quality health care. The author of this amendment argues that the veterans in New York are not being treated equitably. VERA takes all of that into consideration, and under VERA, veterans in the metropolitan New York area will receive an average of $5,339 per veteran patient. That is 16 percent-plus higher than the national average. The Florida VISN will receive $4,485 per patient under VERA, an average payment that is 2.5 percent below the national average. Certainly we should ask ourselves how is this unfair to New York veterans. Mr. Chairman, I urge that we oppose this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to the Hinchey amendment which would prohibit the use of VA funds to further implement the Veterans' Equitable Resource Allocation system. VERA, as it is called, corrects historic geographic imbalances in funding for VA health care services and ensures equitable access to care for all veterans.”