04/10/2009 01:30 PM Senate HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

                 HJR 10-VETERANS' HEALTH CARE                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:26:14 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR DAVIS announced consideration of CSHJR 10.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:27:08 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR DAVIS called a brief at ease.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:27:35 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR DAVIS called the meeting back to order.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:27:45 PM                                                                                                                    
REPRESENTATIVE GUTTENBERG brought  before the committee  HJR 10,                                                                
which basically  says the money  follows the veteran  instead of                                                                
making the veteran go to  a veterans' health care facility. Many                                                                
communities around the  state do have  a vets' facility,  but in                                                                
many others there  is not and veterans have to  fly to Anchorage                                                                
or Fairbanks or  Seattle to get care. Many  of those communities                                                                
that do  not have  a veterans'  health care  facility do  have a                                                                
Native Health  Service clinic  or other  kind of  facility where                                                                
veterans could  be treated if  there were an agreement  in place                                                                
between the  Veterans' Administration (VA)  and the  clinics. So                                                                
this resolution  urges Congress to do  a better job  of bringing                                                                
veterans' benefits to them.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:29:02 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR DAVIS thanked  Representative Guttenberg for his testimony                                                                
and  asked if  there were  any questions  from the  committee or                                                                
anyone  signed  up to  testify  on  the  resolution. Hearing  no                                                                
response, Chair Davis closed public testimony.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:29:28 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR DYSON moved to report CSHJR 10 from committee with                                                                      
individual recommendations and attached zero fiscal note(s).                                                                    
There being no objection, the motion carried.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:29:59 PM                                                                                                                    
There being no further business to come before the committee,                                                                   
Senator Davis adjourned the meeting at 1:29 p.m.