BILL ANALYSIS Ó AJR 20 Page 1 ASSEMBLY THIRD READING AJR 20 (Kim) As Amended March 14, 2016 Majority vote ------------------------------------------------------------------ |Committee |Votes|Ayes |Noes | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------| |Veterans |8-0 |Irwin, Chávez, Alejo, | | |Affairs | |Brown, Daly, Frazier, | | | | |Mathis, Salas | | | | | | | | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------ SUMMARY: Requests the Congress of the United States to support and build a central Veterans Affairs Hospital in Orange County. EXISTING LAW: The Department of Veterans Affairs Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-527) changed the former Veterans Administration into a Cabinet-level Department of Veterans Affairs. FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown. This bill is keyed non-fiscal by the Legislative Counsel. AJR 20 Page 2 COMMENTS: According to the Author: Veterans in Orange County have reported barriers in accessing services and feel their needs are not being met. In order to give these veterans better access to care and treatment for physical and psychological issues, Congress should support a central Veterans Affairs Hospital in Orange County to meet these needs. Orange County is in the Veterans Health Administration Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 22, Desert Pacific Healthcare Network. According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN 22 is served by the following Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Centers in California: VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, (Los Angeles, CA), Loma Linda Healthcare System (Loma Linda, CA), VA Long Beach Healthcare System (Long Beach, CA), and VA San Diego Healthcare System (San Diego, CA). Of these, depending on the veteran's location in Orange County, the closest VA Hospitals would likely be VA Long Beach (approximately 40 miles from Irvine, CA.), Loma Linda (approximately 56 miles from Irvine), or San Diego (approximately 70 miles from Irvine). VISN 22 also is served by several community based outpatient clinics in or near Orange County: Anaheim (Anaheim, CA), Escondido (Escondido, CA), and Laguna Hills (Laguna Hills, CA), Oceanside Clinic (Oceanside, CA), Santa Ana (Santa Ana, CA), and Villages At Cabrillo (Long Beach, CA). AJR 20 Page 3 Analysis Prepared by: John Spangler / V.A. / (916) 319-3550 FN: 0002668