VETERANS LEGISLATION-1966 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 1966 U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS OF THE Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:15 a.m., in room 4232, New Senate Office Building, Senator Ralph Yarborough, chairman of the subcommittee (presiding). Present: Senators Yarborough and Fannin. Committee staff members present: J. Rowland Cook, associate counsel, and Roy H. Millenson, minority clerk. Senator YARBOROUGH. The Subcommittee on Veterans' Affairs will come to order. This morning we shall hear testimony on several bills concerning the administration of Veterans' Administration hospitals and the Department of Medicine and Surgery. I think this is a very important series of legislation, because it will broaden the service of the Veterans' Administration if certain of these laws are passed. The bills we hear this morning are five in number: S. 2748, to allow the sharing on a reciprocal reimbursement basis of the facilities of the Veterans' Administration and of other public and private hospitals, a cooperative effort; H.R. 11631, to recognize education as a valid function of the Department of Medicine of the Veterans' Administration; H.R. 203, to set aside $100,000 per year for research on spinal cord injuries and diseases; S. 2666, to recognize education as a valid function of the Department of Medicine of the Veterans' Administration, and to make perfecting changes in the law governing the Department of Medicine; and finally a composite bill which I introduced a few days ago, S. 3086, to authorize the sharing of medical information, education, and facilities on a reciprocal reimbursement basis by the use of electronic communications systems and by agreements for the sharing of physical facilities. I said I introduced it. That is a joint bill introduced by Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield and me, both to expand the services of the Veterans' Administration with the sharing of medical information and education and with cooperative. sharing of facilities. I think it is important to note here that the Veterans' Administration has, I believe, the largest system of hospitals and medicine in the world. (The bills referred to follow :) 1 89TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 2666 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES OCTOBER 19, 1965 Mr. YARBOROUGH introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare A BILL To clarify and otherwise improve chapter 73 of title 38, United States Code, relating to the Department of Medicine and Surgery of the Veterans' Administration, and for other purposes. 1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 3 That section 4101 of title 38, United States Code, is amended 4 to read as follows: 5 " 4101. Functions of Department 6 "There shall be in the Veterans' Administration a 7 Department of Medicine and Surgery under a Chief Medical 8 Director. The functions of the Department of Medicine 9 and Surgery shall be those necessary for a complete medical 2 1 and hospital service, including medical research and educa2 tion directly related to such service as prescribed by the 3 Administrator pursuant to this chapter and other statutory 4 authority." 5 SEC. 2. Section 4102 of title 38, United States Code, 6 is amended by deleting "Medical Service, Dental Service, 7 Nursing Service, and Auxiliary Service" and inserting in 8 lieu thereof the following: "a Medical Service, a Dental 9 Service, a Nursing Service, and such other professional and 10 auxiliary services as the Administrator may find to be necessary to carry out the functions of the Department." 11 12 SEC. 3. (a) Section 4103 (a) of title 38, United States 13 Code, is amended by deleting "five", immediately preceding 14 "Assistant Chief Medical Directors," in the first sentence 15 of paragraph (3) thereof, and substituting therefor, "six". (b) Such section 4103 is further amended by amending 16 17 subsection (b) thereof to read as follows: 18 "(b) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this 19 section 222 20 21 22 23 24 25 "(1) any appointment under this section shall be for a period of four years, with reappointment permissible for successive like periods, "(2) any such appointment or reappointment may be extended by the Administrator for a period not in excess of three years, and 1 2 3 3 "(3) any person so appointed or reappointed shall be subject to removal by the Administrator for cause." SEC. 4. Section 4104 of title 38, United States Code, is 4 amended by deleting "(2) Managers, pharmacists" and 5 inserting in lieu thereof "(2) Pharmacists", and by deleting 6 "pathologists," in subparagraph (2). 7 SEC. 5. Section 4105 of title 38, United States Code, is 8 amended as follows: 10 "§ 4105. Qualifications of appointees "(a) Any person to be eligible for appointment to the 11 following positions in the Department of Medicine and Sur gery must have the requisite qualifications: "(1) Physician— "hold the degree of doctor of medicine or of doctor of osteopathy from a college or university approved by the Administrator, have completed an internship satis factory to the Administrator, and be licensed to practice "hold the degree of doctor of dental surgery or den tal medicine from a college or university approved by the Administrator, and be licensed to practice dentistry in a State; "(3) Nurse |