House passes bill to address VA nursing shortage

Legislation addressing nurse staffing shortages at the Veterans Affairs Department was approved last week in the House. Backed by the American Federation of Government Employees, the bill attempts to improve retention and recruitment of nurses and other hospital staff. "The Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Enhancement Act of 2001" (H.R. 3447), now awaits approval by the Senate. A similar bill, S. 1188, was introduced in August by Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV, D-W.Va., chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee. Veterans Affairs employs more than 50,000 nursing personnel, but those numbers have been dropping, according to AFGE lobbyist Linda Bennett. From 1995 to 2000, the number of VA registered nurses declined by 10 percent, the number of licensed practical nurses dropped by 13 percent and the number of nurse assistants dropped by 30 percent, Bennett said. Concerns about low pay and mandatory overtime have made it difficult for the VA to recruit and retain highly skilled registered nurses and other health professionals. The pending retirement of a large number of nurses in the next few years exacerbates the issue. By 2005, 35 percent of the agency's current nursing workforce will be eligible for retirement. The House legislation addresses those shortages by requiring the VA Secretary to establish a nationwide policy on staffing and to create a commission on Veterans Affairs nursing. The bill would improve nurses' pay and benefits by allowing them to use any unused sick leave in calculating their retirement annuities. It also requires VA to report on the use of overtime by nursing personnel and to make existing scholarship and debt reduction programs more flexible. "Staffing shortages frequently require registered nurses and licensed practical nurses to be mandated overtime and the patient suffers with mandatory overtime," Bennett said. "A nurse who's already worked one shift and is bleary-eyed may not give the quality of care that is deserved."