Vets Organizations Lobby State

Area veterans lobbied senators in Lincoln Friday on a Health and Human Services reorganization bill that includes the state veteran's homes.

In the bill, all programs, services and duties of the current Department of Health and Human Services, the HHS Regulation and Licensure, and HHS Finance and Support departments would be transferred to a combined Health and Human Services System.

The Nebraska State Veterans Homes in Grand Island, Norfolk, Scottsbluff and Lincoln would have a director and veteran Cal Stratton of North Platte said by having one person for veterans to talk to, there would be transparency in the home's operations.

Stratton said 15 veterans from the area, including Broken Bow, North Platte and Stapleton, traveled to Lincoln as a 100-person lobbying group to discuss the bill with state senators.

"Right now, with the vets homes coming under the blanket of the Department of Health and Human Services, we don't know how much money is spent or even what the budget is," he said.

Stratton said the bill was being debated on the floor as senators came and visited with the veterans, except for the bill's author, State Sen. Joel Johnson from Kearney who was on the floor debating the bill.

Stratton said the bill has been read once and Thursday's reading was the second one.

An amendment to the bill, AM15, was introduced Thursday, all 1,647 pages of it.

The amendment was required because wherever the words, "Department of Health and Human Services Regulation and Licensure," "Department of Health and Human Services," "Department of Health and Human Services Finance and Support," and the word "department," appear in state statutes, those words have to be replaced by "Health and Human Services System" or "system."

Stratton said once the bill is passed on the third reading, he understands there will be an emergency clause allowing it to take effect on July 1.

The bill allows the governor to appoint a chief executive officer, who would oversee six departments including behavioral health, children and family services, developmental disabilities, Medicaid, public health and the veteran's homes.