VETERAN'S NEWSLETTER

My Friend,

It's been a busy few months in Washington, DC, and across our congressional district. From joining our Korean War Veterans in commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Korean War Armistice, hosting a veteran's roundtable, I will always have the backs of our men & women who've served.

Additionally, I joined my colleagues in voting for several pieces of legislation to help our nation's veterans and military, including the National Defense Authorization Act and the Military Construction & Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill that increases accountability in our defense programs, raises pay for our military service members, and invests billions into construction at VA medical facilities and veterans health care programs.

My office will be sending regular updates about the work I'm doing to support our veterans and active duty service members in and around New York City, so please be sure to share this and encourage others in your network to sign up to stay up to date with everything I'm doing for you.

Sincerely,

Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis

I had the pleasure of commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Korean War Armistice with our local veterans and member of our Korean-American community. As these veterans get older, it’s critically important that our youth learns of our veterans' sacrifices so these ceremonies continue and their heroism is never forgotten.

In March, I had the pleasure of meeting with the new Director of the Brooklyn VA Medical Center, Timothy Graham, about our push for more nurses to staff the facility, along with important investments the hospital has made into its surgical and rehabilitation suites and other renovations currently underway.

As a follow up to our initial meeting, in July I had an informative call with Director Graham to bring to his attention the issues and concerns that were brought to me during our office's veteran's roundtable. Below please find his responses to your questions and concerns.

Transportation Services to the VA Hospital

• Previously, transportation services to and from the VA Hospital were operated by volunteers. Director Graham is pushing his team to bring back the volunteers in order to get the vans running again. Our office will assist with outreach for volunteers once Director Graham contacts us with a start date for the program.

Mammography Machine

• It was reported that the Mammography machine was out of order. Director Graham said that all mammography equipment was replaced in Brooklyn. He stated that they lost their mammographer and had to close the program until they could fill the position. A mammographer has since been hired and the program is now open for appointments again. 

Domiciliary Unit

• Originally the Domiciliary Unit was housed at St. Albans. It was moved to Brooklyn and later closed due to COVID-19.
• Currently, the Brooklyn facility does not meet the guidelines of the Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist, which was developed for the VA Hospitals to review inpatient mental health units for environmental hazards. Director Graham said they need to identify and abate environmental hazards that could increase the chance of patient suicides or self-harm, including replacement work on doors, drop ceilings and other structural items. There is no time frame for completion, but Director Graham’s team assured us his team is working on it and additional staff will be hired to assist.

Additional Updates:

Eating Disorder Program

• The Brooklyn VA Medical Center is looking to expand clinical programs for eating disorders, which would be the first of its kind. An evaluation will be conducted to ascertain the number of veterans affected.

Elevators

• Passenger elevators are up and running. Freight elevators are sill an issue which is being reviewed.

Building Maintenance

• A contract has been approved for a deep clean and painting of the Brooklyn VA Medical Center.

Nursing Hires

• Several nurses have been hired at the Brooklyn VA Medical Center. Director Graham would like to see the pace of hirings increased. LPNs received a $10,000 raise in order to assure their retention.

Phones/Scheduling

• Director Graham is reviewing the need to implement a centralized call center.

Our office was saddened to learn that WWII veteran Daniel Holihan from Staten Island recently passed away at age 100. We send our deepest condolences to his family and we fondly remember his happiness upon receiving the Bronze Star Medal from Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro & I during Fleet Week this past May.

The U.S. Coast Guard formally re-designated New York City as a Coast Guard City! In Congress I've been proud to deliver critical funding for USCG Sector New York's Fort Wadsworth station to improve base housing and make pier construction repairs. Our Coasties go above and beyond to keep our harbor safe and they are more than deserving of this recognition.

BILLS I'M SUPPORTING

H.R. 815 - RELIEVE Act: This bill expands eligibility for VA reimbursement of emergency treatment for veterans who are treated in a non-VA facility.

H.R. 3520 - Veteran Care Improvement Act of 2023: This BILL would codify current access standards and incentivize partnerships between the VA and community providers, setting a baseline expectation for timeliness of care and require the VA to be more transparent with veterans when they are deciding options for care.

H.R. 2638 - CUBA Act OF 2023: This bill expands eligibility for VA benefits to certain individuals who served in the Bay of Pigs, Cuba, in April 1961.

H.R. 1282 - Major Richard Star Act: This bill provides that combat-disabled uniformed services retirees with fewer than 20 years of creditable service may concurrently receive, without reduction, veterans' disability compensation and retired pay or combat-related special compensation.

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