Hirono Joins Colleagues in Bipartisan Push to Bolster VA’s Emergency Response

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, joined Senators Jon Tester (D-MT) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) in introducing the Advancing VA’s Emergency Response to (AVERT) Crises Act of 2023, legislation to improve the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) emergency response.

“In August, one of the deadliest fires in U.S. history destroyed an entire town, causing devastation to businesses, families, and impacting entire communities on Maui and across the state of Hawaii,” said Senator Hirono. “Hawaii has been affected by other fires as well, most recently in upcountry Maui, on Hawaii Island, and on Oahu. As natural disasters and extreme weather events – such as wildfires – become increasingly common across the country, it is crucial that the VA has the resources it needs to respond to these events. The AVERT Crises Act will help the VA in its efforts to fulfill its emergency preparedness mission and enable Congress to determine how it can provide the agency with additional support to strengthen its response to future extreme weather events and disasters.”

The AVERT Crises Act would improve VA’s response to natural disasters, pandemics, and other emergencies to ensure continuity of VA medical care for veterans, and that the Department is better prepared to activate their Fourth Mission authority—VA’s role in improving the nation’s response to emergencies. It would require VA to implement fully operational emergency communications systems throughout VA medical facilities, and improve VA’s emergency cache program—stored reserves at VA medical facilities containing drugs and medical supplies to be used during an emergency.

The Senators’ legislation addresses lessons learned from VA’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, recent natural disasters, and the findings of numerous reports from the VA Office of Inspector General. Recently, natural and weather-related disasters have increased in frequency and intensity, and VA plays a critical role in responding to these emergencies.

Among its many provisions, the AVERT Crises Act would:

• Require VA to implement a fully operational emergency communications system throughout their medical facilities;
• Require VA to report to Congress on the current status of its Regional Readiness Centers, and on recommendations for improving the alignment of its offices involved with emergency management to ensure there is not redundancy between offices;
• Require VA to ensure its emergency pharmacy vehicles and emergency caches are fully stocked with unexpired inventory; and
• Require VA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to analyze cross-Department coordination during emergencies.

The full text of the bill is available here.

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