BILL ANALYSIS Ó ----------------------------------------------------------------- |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AJR 20| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- THIRD READING Bill No: AJR 20 Author: Kim (R), et al. Amended: 4/11/16 in Assembly Vote: 21 SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: 5-0, 6/14/16 AYES: Nielsen, Hueso, Allen, Nguyen, Roth ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 75-0, 4/11/16 - See last page for vote SUBJECT: Veterans Affairs hospitals SOURCE: Author DIGEST: This resolution urges the Congress of the United States to support and build a central federal veterans hospital in Orange County to meet the mental health care needs of area veterans. ANALYSIS: Existing law: 1)Requires the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA) to provide physical and mental health care for veterans who meet requisite eligibility criteria. 2)Requires USDVA to construct and operate health care sites, including hospitals and medical centers, as determined to be needed. This resolution makes the following legislative findings: AJR 20 Page 2 1)Many service members returning home to Orange County face significant barriers to a successful transition back to civilian life. 2)Sixty-one percent of post-9/11 Orange County veterans reported difficulties adjusting to civilian life and needing time to figure out what to do after service in the military. 3)About one in five post-9/11 veterans in Orange County have considered suicide, and one in six developed a suicide plan. Among those Orange County veterans who considered or made a plan, about one-half did not seek help. 4)Orange County veterans have reported barriers, including not knowing where to access services, difficulty scheduling appointments, and concerns about confidentiality and treatment. 5)Twenty-five percent of post-9/11 veterans and 9 percent of pre-9/11 veterans indicated severe physical health symptoms. In addition, post-9/11 veterans were more likely to screen positive for post-traumatic stress disorder and depression than pre-9/11 veterans. 6)One-half of all Orange County post-9/11 veterans reported their greatest needs as USDVA service assistance and health care assistance. 7)Only 24 percent of Orange County veterans reported that they could handle the challenges on their own, and their needs are not being met. 8)A considerable number of Orange County veterans are not receiving care for physical and psychological issues, and have a high rate of mental health concerns. This resolution urges the Congress of the United States to support and build a central federal veterans hospital in Orange County to meet the mental health care needs of area veterans. Background USDVA provides physical and mental health care for veterans who AJR 20 Page 3 meet requisite eligibility criteria. Through its subordinate Veterans Health Administration (VHA), USDVA manages the nation's largest integrated health care system. VHA operates more than 1,700 sites of care and serves approximately 8.76 million veterans each year. Currently, USDVA has major hospitals/medical centers in the following California locations: ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Southern California |Northern California | | | | |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | Long Beach | San Francisco | | | | | Los Angeles | Fresno | | | | | Loma Linda | Livermore | | | | | San Diego | Menlo Park | | | | | | Palo Alto | | | | | | Sacramento | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.:NoLocal: No SUPPORT: (Verified6/14/16) American Legion, District 29 Orange County American Legion Anaheim Post 72 105 individuals OPPOSITION: (Verified6/14/16) None received AJR 20 Page 4 ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 75-0, 4/11/16 AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Atkins, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Brough, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chang, Chau, Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Beth Gaines, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gordon, Gray, Grove, Hadley, Roger Hernández, Holden, Irwin, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey, Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Olsen, Patterson, Quirk, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wilk, Williams, Wood NO VOTE RECORDED: Brown, Gonzalez, Harper, Rendon Prepared by:Wade Teasdale / V.A. / (916) 651-1503 6/14/16 16:52:05 **** END ****