Gus Bilirakis, the Florida Republican congressman who is the vice chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, scored a win this week as the House passed his bill reforming the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) and the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) use of opioid medicines.
Bilirakis introduced the Promoting Responsible Opioid Management and Incorporating Scientific Expertise Act (PROMISE Act) back in November. The bill makes the VA and DOD update their guidelines for prescribing opioids. The proposal also increases transparency and makes the VA share more information with state licensing boards.
“The tragic death of Marine Corp. Veteran Jason Simcakoski in the Tomah, Wisconsin VA Medical Facility prompted the need for congressional action,” Bilirakis said when he brought out the bill. “This August, nearly one year from Jason’s death, the Office of Inspector General released a report that concluded Jason’s cause of death was due to mixed drug toxicity and the combination of various medications was the plausible mechanism of action for a fatal outcome. In light of this unfortunate and possibly avoidable tragedy, I am proud to introduce the PROMISE Act. This legislation will further my efforts to help our veterans receive the quality care they have earned. My PROMISE Act will provide our veterans safer, more personalized care to deal with the physical and mental wounds they are facing and will help improve efficiency at the VA.”
Bilirakis also rolled over content from his “Creating Options for Veterans' Expedited Recovery (COVER) Act" which added more alternative therapies in VA care.
"While it is vital that veterans receive the care they need, it is equally important to recognize that one size does not fit all when discussing treatments for veterans," Bilirakis said at the end of 2014 when he testified on the COVER Act’s behalf. "The invisible wounds they sustain serving our country are just as serious as physical ones. While many veterans may thrive under traditional plans and medical care, some may not be as responsive. We need to provide veterans with choices and easy access to alternative forms of therapies that work best for them. The COVER Act will ascertain the viability of alternative treatments, providing a pathway forward that will eventually allow veterans to have a range of options for mental health treatments. such as outdoor sports therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, accelerated resolution therapy, and service dog therapy.”
Bilirakis reeled in 35 co-sponsors for the PROMISE Act including Wisconsin Democrat Ron Kind, and, from the Florida delegation, Republicans John Mica and Dennis Ross and Democrat Lois Frankel.
“We must make sure no other veterans and their families have to go through what the Simcakoski family and others have had to,” Kind said in support of Bilirakis’ bill back in November. “One of the best ways to do this is to give veteran patients and their families a real role in VA oversight and to provide health care professionals better training on the negative effects of prescription painkillers. This legislation uses some of the lessons learned from problems at Tomah to help the VA provide better care for veterans nationwide. I appreciate Congressman Bilirakis’s help in ensuring our veterans get the care they have earned and deserve.”
The House passed the bill on Tuesday on a voice vote. Florida Republican Jeff Miller, the chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee, cheered the bill going through.
“A bag of pills is simply not a solution to a veteran’s health care needs,” Miller said on Wednesday. “That’s why we must act to reduce VA’s reliance on prescription painkillers and ensure that in instances they are prescribed, VA is doing so safely. Veterans and families shouldn’t have to suffer like Jason Simcakoski and his loved ones have, and if the PROMISE Act becomes law, it will help ensure they won’t.”
The bill now heads to the Senate.
