The National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics released a webcast statement about the reintroduction of the Injured and Amputee Veterans Bill of Rights to the 113th Congress.
Introduced in three prior congresses and passed in the House of Representatives in December 2010, the bill would require the Veteran’s Administration to prepare a list to be posted on their website and hung in every O&P clinic displaying veterans’ rights to quality orthotic and prosthetic care, including the right to the appropriate technology, the right to a second opinion, the right to a spare prosthesis or orthosis and the right to choose the practitioner that provides prosthetic or orthotic care, among others.
Those involved in spearheading the legislation include Rep. Renee Elmers (R-N.C.), Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.), Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.), as well as Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.) and Rep. David Price (D-N.C.). There were also several veteran service organizations that agreed to support the legislation.
“We’re hopeful that the VA committee moves on this bill and we’re very hopeful that the senate follows suit,” Peter W. Thomas, JD, general counsel of NAAOP, stated. “At this point what we’re asking our members and friends to do is to write to their congressmen and ask for cosponsors of HR3408, the Injured and Amputee Veterans Bill of Rights. You can go to the NAAOP website and we will help you through that process with a draft letter. The goal is to get as many cosponsors as possible and ultimately to move the legislation forward.”
