Daniel Inouye: “I introduce legislation today to amend Chapter 74 of Title 38, United States Code, to revise certain provisions relating…”

“I introduce legislation today to amend Chapter 74 of Title 38, United States Code, to revise certain provisions relating to the appointment of clinical and professional psychologists in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The VHA has a long history of maintaining a staff of the very best health care professionals to provide care to those men and women who have served our country in the Armed Forces. Recently, a quite distressing situation regarding the care of our veterans has come to my attention. In particular, the recruiting and retention of psychologists in the VHA of the Department of Veterans Affairs has become a significant problem. The Congress has recognized the important contribution of the behavioral sciences in the treatment of several conditions afflicting a significant portion of our veterans. Programs related to homelessness, substance abuse, and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have received funding from the Congress in recent years. Certainly, psychologists, as behavioral science experts, are essential to the successful implementation of these programs. However, the high vacancy and turnover rates for psychologists in the VHA (more than 5% and 8% respectively as reported in one recent survey) might seriously jeopardize these programs and will negatively impact overall patient care in the VHA.”