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July 18, 2001
ROCKEFELLER INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO ADDRESS NURSING SHORTAGE IN VA
Legislation Focuses on Recruitment and Retention
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and Senator Max Cleland (D-GA) introduced legislation today aimed at dealing with the imminent nursing shortage in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical system. Rockefeller brought attention to the nursing shortage crisis during a Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing in June and again at a Committee field hearing in Huntington last Monday. The legislation, the VA Nurse Recruitment and Retention Enhancement Act of 2001, addresses the staffing challenges that were discussed at the hearing.
Citing the looming crisis, Rockefeller said, "This bill is a good start, but clearly, we must remain vigilant. Although the nursing shortage has not yet reached its projected peak, it is already endangering patient safety in the areas of critical and long-term care, where demands on nurses are greatest. We must encourage higher enrollment in nursing schools, improve the work environment, and offer nurses opportunities to develop as respected professionals, while taking steps to ensure safe staffing levels in the short term. We do not have the luxury of discussing this problem at length -- we must act now."
In a statement introducing the legislation, Cleland reflected on his experience in VA hospitals, "I have been a patient at VA hospitals. I know the immeasurable service provided by these men and women. We must act now to stave off the looming health care crisis that would be created by a nursing shortage during a time when America will see the greatest increase in the aged population."
The VA Nurse Recruitment and Retention Act of 2001 will mandate VA to produce a policy on staffing standards; require the Secretary to report on the use of overtime by professional nursing staff and assistants in each hospital and nursing home; provide Saturday premium pay to eligible health care professionals; and exempt registered nurses and others from the requirement that part-time service performed prior to April 7, 1986, be prorated when calculating retirement annuities. The legislation also improves existing scholarship and debt reduction programs by providing additional flexibility to recipients.
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