BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó






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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                        AJR 20|
          |Office of Senate Floor Analyses   |                              |
          |(916) 651-1520    Fax: (916)      |                              |
          |327-4478                          |                              |
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                                   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:








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          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                    |
          |                                |                                |
          |                                |                                |
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          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


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