Helps homes in Augusta, Bangor, Caribou, Scarborough, South Paris, and Machias
WASHINGTON, DC – October 12, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — This afternoon, Congressman Mike Michaud, Ranking Member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health, spoke on the House floor in support of H.R. 2074, legislation that contains the text of a bill he authored to ensure that severely disabled and elderly veterans are able to get the care they need at Maine’s state veterans’ homes. The bill passed unanimously by voice vote.
More specifically, Michaud’s provision, which has 47 bipartisan cosponsors, requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enter into contracts or provider agreements with state veterans’ homes in order to reimburse them adequately for the care they provide. More information on Michaud’s bill and its impact on Maine can be found here.
“House passage of this bill represents one more important step forward for our disabled veterans. It will ensure that we honor their service to our country by continuing to provide them with the care they need,” said Michaud. “Maine veterans’ homes may be forced to close their doors without this fix, and I’m hopeful the Senate will act on it soon.”
Maine Veterans’ Homes is a public, non-profit system of state veterans’ homes established by the government of the State of Maine. They currently operate 640 skilled nursing, long-term care nursing, and domiciliary beds at locations in Augusta, Bangor, Caribou, Scarborough, South Paris, and Machias.
In addition to addressing state veterans’ homes, H.R. 2074 includes measures cosponsored by Michaud addressing sexual assault prevention in response to a GAO report, which found that between 2007 and 2010 nearly 300 sexual assault incidents were reported to VA police at four Veteran Integrated Service Networks. H.R. 2074 also provides for enhancements to rehabilitative services for veterans with traumatic brain injuries that Michaud took the lead on with Congressman Michael Grimm (R-NY), including a pilot program for assessing the effectiveness of addressing post-deployment mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms through a therapeutic medium of service dog training and handling for veterans with disabilities.
