,,iv #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #gja ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,november #ad1 #bjai,mr4 ,grijalva 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,kirkpatrick1 ,mr4 ,pocan1 and ,mr4 ,takano7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,education and ,labor1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,,resolution ,expressing support for policies that maintain a robust1 fully funded and staffed ,veterans ,health ,administration of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs and do not jeopardize care for veterans by moving essential resources to the for-profit private sector4 ,whereas ,congress has promoted policies to improve the health care capabilities of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs by providing significant increases in funds to hire staff1 conduct research1 build more facilities1 and improve training2 ,whereas the approximately #ai1cjj1jjj veterans of the ,united ,states are a diverse group of individuals including older veterans with diseases associated with aging and disabilities associated with past wars which require frequent care and younger veterans with complex conditions related to improved battlefield medical care1 and as a group contain a higher percentage of seriously wounded individuals needing complex lifelong physical and mental health care1 which differs greatly from the patient mix cared for by most non-,,va providers2 ,whereas over #i1cjj1jjj veterans are enrolled in the health care system of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs1 and of this number #g1ajj1jjj actually use the health care system for all or part of their care1 which is an increase of #hb percent since #bjja1 showing massive1 growing need for care furnished by the ,,va2 ,whereas the ,,rand ,corporation examined a decade of research and found that ,,va-provided care is equal to or better quality than private sector care in all forty-seven quality-of-care measurements it conducted as part of an independent assessment comparing ,,va outpatient care with comparable civilian facilities2 ,whereas the ,,rand ,corporation's ,ready to ,serve national study found that compared to non-,,va mental health providers1 ,,va mental health providers were significantly more likely to deliver both culturally competent care1 which is important for engaging veterans and increasing access to care1 as well as evidenced-based care that yields clinically meaningful and significant improvement of ,posttraumatic ,stress ,disorder and major depression2 ,whereas the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs is better equipped than most non-,,va providers to coordinate complex veteran care and provide continuity of resources for veterans1 yet an increasing number of veterans are being sent into the private sector each year1 first pursuant to the ,veterans ,access1 ,choice1 and ,accountability ,act of #bjad 7,public ,law #aac-adf7 and now pursuant to the ,,va ,,mission ,act of #bjah 7,public ,law #aae-ahb72 ,whereas mental health services1 including suicide prevention1 are of paramount importance2 ,whereas the over #dbj1jjj employees of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs are dedicated public servants2 ,whereas1 according to a bipartisan survey by ,lake ,research and ,chesapeake ,beach ,consulting1 #hj percent of veterans polled oppose turning health care provided by the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs into a system of private sector vouchers that may not adequately cover costs2 ,whereas a ,veterans of ,foreign ,wars survey found that #ib percent of veterans believe working to fix the ,,va1 rather than dismantling it1 is the best way to improve the care provided to ,america's veterans2 ,whereas millions of dollars are being spent by organizations which value dismantling the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs and outsourcing veteran care for private profit over investing in the ,department2 ,whereas one of the top priorities should be the expansion of care for the more than #d1gjj1jjj rural veterans by using rural clinics1 ,,va mobile clinics1 and telemedicine under the supervision of each veteran's primary ,,va doctor2 ,whereas funding has not been increased sufficiently under the ,,va ,,mission ,act of #bjah 7,public ,law #aae-ahb7 for the ,veteran ,community ,care ,program that pays for the costs of providing veterans private health care at the same time that the ,administration is requesting inadequate funding for medical services at the ,veterans ,health ,administration2 ,whereas the freedom of workers to organize unions is an internationally recognized human right1 enshrined in the ,universal ,declaration of ,human ,rights2 ,whereas the right of ,federal employees to form and join unions and to engage in collective bargaining was established by the ,civil ,service ,reform ,act of #aigh 7,public ,law #ie-ded72 ,whereas #cj percent of workers at the ,,va are veterans themselves and as strong members of a union receive the good pay and benefits they deserve2 ,whereas it is vital to attract qualified individuals to fill workforce shortages within the ,,va system2 ,whereas1 on ,may #be1 #bjah1 ,president ,trump issued ,executive ,orders that proposed damaging changes to unionizing and collective bargaining procedures including eliminating nearly all union and workers use of official time and eliminating reasonable due process rights2 and ,whereas unions provide many benefits to our democracy1 economy1 and working families1 and a union worker receives on average #ah percent higher weekly wages than nonunion workers3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 supports policies to provide necessary resources to serve veterans by maintaining a robust ,veterans ,health ,administration2 7#b7 opposes policies that would jeopardize care for veterans by moving essential resources and veterans away from the ,veterans ,health ,administration and into the for-profit private sector2 7#c7 supports policies that would create integrated health care networks for veterans with the ,veterans ,health ,administration serving as the coordinator and primary provider of care1 and selected high-quality non-,,va partners providing care when and where needed to ensure timely and convenient access for all enrolled veterans1 including those who reside in rural areas2 7#d7 supports the right of all ,americans to form1 join1 and operate independent labor unions at all government levels and in the private sector2 and 7#e7 opposes any efforts against unionizing and collective bargaining procedures4