00                      SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 18                                                                    
01 Urging the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services to seek authority and                                        
02 funding from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a system                                     
03 allowing Alaska veterans treatment in both public and private Alaska facilities.                                        
04 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
05       WHEREAS approximately 72,000 veterans make Alaska home; and                                                     
06       WHEREAS Alaska veterans deserve top-quality health care in their communities; and                               
07       WHEREAS the state has a moral obligation to ensure that state citizens who serve in                             
08 the military receive appropriate medical care at home; and                                                              
09       WHEREAS many veterans who currently require medical services must leave their                                   
10 communities and the state to receive care from United States Department of Veterans Affairs                             
11 facilities; and                                                                                                         
12       WHEREAS the United States Department of Veterans Affairs spent $2,057,222 on                                    
13 airfare during 2004 to fly Alaska veterans out of the state to receive medical services; and                            
14       WHEREAS many of the medical services received by veterans are available at public                               
15 and private medical facilities in the state; and                                                                        

01       WHEREAS the value of medical services available in the state but provided out of                                
02 state is a significant loss to the economy of the state and undercuts the viability of the state's                      
03 medical services industry; and                                                                                          
04       WHEREAS forcing veterans to leave their communities for treatment unnecessarily                                 
05 disrupts the veteran and the veteran's family; and                                                                      
06       WHEREAS public and private facilities that can perform necessary services often                                 
07 exist in a veteran's community; and                                                                                     
08       WHEREAS increased interaction between United States Department of Veterans                                      
09 Affairs doctors and hospitals and public and private medical facilities in the state would result                       
10 in reduced costs and increased efficiency for veterans' care; and                                                       
11       WHEREAS allowing veterans to obtain care from doctors and hospitals other than                                  
12 United States Department of Veterans Affairs doctors and hospitals allows greater choice and                            
13 flexibility for veterans;                                                                                               
14       BE IT RESOLVED by the Alaska State Legislature that the Alaska Department of                                    
15 Health and Social Services is urged to seek authority and funding from the United States                                
16 Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a system allowing Alaska veterans to be treated in                          
17 public or private facilities in the state whenever possible; and be it                                                  
18       FURTHER RESOLVED by the Alaska State Legislature that the United States                                         
19 Department of Veterans Affairs is urged to give authority, funding, and management to the                               
20 State of Alaska to ensure that every Alaska veteran has the option of receiving services as                             
21 close to home as possible; and be it                                                                                    
22       FURTHER RESOLVED by the Alaska State Legislature that the United States                                         
23 Department of Veterans Affairs is urged to implement a system that uses veterans medical                                
24 identification cards like an insurance card for billing the United States Department of                                 
25 Veterans Affairs.                                                                                                       
26       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable R. James Nicholson, United                             
27 States Secretary of Veterans Affairs; the Honorable Karleen Jackson, Commissioner,                                      
28 Department of Health and Social Services; and the Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable                               
29 Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative,                                        
30 members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.