Response to a "Friends and Family" letter from Senator Bill Nelson of Florida.
Dear Ms. Schmidt:
Thank you for contacting me regarding a bill that has been introduced to the Senate that seeks to address nursing shortages in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical system.
S 1188, titles,"The VA Nurse Recruitment and Retention Enhancement Act of 2001" has been introduced to the Senate by Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs authority to recruit and retain qualified nurses for the Veterans Health Administration. specifically, this bill would instruct the VA to produce a policy regarding staffing standards; to report on use of overtime by nursing staff; provide Saturday premium pay to certain nurses, and exempt nurses from other Title 38 employees for the purposes of calculating retirement pay.
Currently, this bill has been referred to the Committee on Veterans Affairs where it awaits further review. I look forward to any recommendations the committee may have to compensate VA nurses, whose services are essential for the care of veterans who are in need.
Thank you for your letter and please feel free to contact me in the future.
Sincerely,
Bill Nelson