7/16/2008
NAAOP testifies on Capitol Hill
On July 16th, Tom Guth, C.P., President of NAAOP, testified on Capitol Hill before the House Small Business Committee on the issue of how small private O&P practices serve the prosthetic and orthotic needs of veterans in this country. The hearing is intended to spotlight the critical role that private businesses play in service to our nation's veterans with amputations and neuro-musculo-skeletal injuries and disabilties, whether or not these injuries are service-connected.
NAAOP's testimony will focus on its support for passage of H.R. 5730, the Injured and Amputee Veterans Bill of Rights. This bill, recently introduced by Congressman Bob Filner (D-CA), Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, would require the VA to post a list of rights in every VA prosthetic clinic, clearly establishing a series of expectations that every veteran will understand with respect to their orthotic and prosthetic care. The intent of this Bill of Rights is to make all veterans aware that they have certain rights in the care of their injuries, including the right to access the latest and most appropriate technology and the right to have access to the private practitioner of their choice, to name a few.
The hearing today will also feature testimony from Fred Downs, Chief of the VA's Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Division, as well as Jim Rogers, C.P.O., speaking on behalf of the Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists, and Dennis Clark, who has been closely involved with prosthetic care provided by Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
