The National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics (NAAOP) has released it latest webcast in which General Counsel Peter Thomas, JD, comments on a hearing held April 17 where the House Veterans Affairs Health Subcommittee discussed Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) legislation, including H.R. 2322, the Injured and Amputee Veterans Bill of Rights.
The bill originally passed the House in 2010, but the Senate failed to act on it. Though the bill has been reintroduced several times, it took on greater importance last fall when the VA announced a proposed regulation that would give the VA “sole authority” to determine which prosthetist would provide a veteran’s care. The proposal would change more than five decades of legislation that has allowed veterans to make that choice.
All O&P Alliance organizations—the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association, the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists , the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics, the Board for Certification/Accreditation, and NAAOP—and the Amputee Coalition support the bill’s passage, Thomas said.
NAAOP will continue to work with Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), who introduced the bipartisan legislation, to seek a mark-up of H.R. 2322 in the VA Health Subcommittee, he said.
The latest webcast is posted on the NAAOP website and on NAAOP’s YouTube channel as well as oandp.com, shared with member via email and made available via the NAAOP Facebook page.