Congressman Morgan McGarvey Introduces Bill to Improve VA’s Emergency Response
WASHINGTON, DC (December 11, 2024) – Today, Congressman Morgan McGarvey (KY-03) introduced the Advancing VA’s Emergency Response to (AVERT) Crises Act, a bipartisan, bicameral initiative to improve VA’s response to natural disasters, pandemics, and other emergencies to ensure continuity of VA medical care for veterans.
“I’m proud to partner with Senator Tester to ensure that VA is fully equipped to respond to crises and continue serving our nation’s veterans,” said Congressman Morgan McGarvey. “Whether it’s flooding in eastern Kentucky, tornadoes in Louisville, hurricanes on the coast, or fires out west, increasingly frequent natural disasters are devastating our communities and leaving too many without the care and services they need. There’s no time like the present to invest in our nation’s ability to respond to these emergencies and take care of the men and women who put on a uniform to take care of us. ”
The Veterans Health Administration provides direct health services to over 9 million veterans with over 1,300 health care facilities, including Louisville’s Robley Rex Veterans Affairs Medical Center. It is the nation’s largest integrated healthcare system.
The AVERT Crises Act would ensure that the VA is better prepared to activate their Fourth Mission authority—VA’s role in improving the nation’s response to emergencies. The bill would require VA to implement fully operational emergency communications systems throughout VA medical facilities, and improve VA’s emergency cache program—stored reserves at VA medical facilities containing drugs and medical supplies to be used during an emergency.
The bill is the House companion bill of S. 3341, introduced by Senators Jon Tester (D-MT), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Maisie Hirono (D-HI).
“In the last few years, we’ve seen disasters strike all parts of this country, from the COVID-19 pandemic to massive flooding in my home state of Montana. Due to its size and reach, VA is in a prime position to respond to these crises,” said Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Tester. “I’m proud our bill will ensure that VA is prepared to respond to these emergencies while continuing to provide high-quality care for veterans.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic and recent natural disasters have tested the limits of the Department of Veterans Affairs ability to activate their Fourth Mission and appropriately respond to emergencies and disasters,” said Jon Retzer, Deputy National Legislative Director for Health, Disabled American Veterans (DAV). “DAV is thankful for Rep. McGarvey for sponsoring the Advancing VA’s Emergency Response to (AVERT) Act of 2024, which aims to address lesson learned from these emergencies and disasters to ensure that communication systems are effective and that continuity of VA medical care is maintained for our nation’s veterans during these activations.”
The AVERT Crises Act would:
- Require VA to implement a fully operational emergency communications system throughout their medical facilities;
- Require VA to report to Congress on the current status of its Regional Readiness Centers, and on recommendations for improving the alignment of its offices involved with emergency management to ensure there is not redundancy between offices;
- Require VA to ensure its emergency pharmacy vehicles and emergency caches are fully stocked with unexpired inventory; and
- Require VA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to analyze cross-Department coordination during emergencies.
The AVERT Crises Act is endorsed by Disabled American Veterans (DAV).
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