Smoking would be prohibited inside and outside all Veterans Health Administration (VHA) buildings under legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) on Wednesday.
The bill, H.R. 1662, would immediately ban smoking inside all VHA facilities and prohibit smoking outside VHA buildings within five years. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates that approximately 20 percent of veterans enrolled at VHA are smokers, leaving other veterans at increased risk for adverse health conditions resulting from second-hand smoke.
“Exposure to secondhand smoke puts veteran patients at unnecessary risk,” Wenstrup, the chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Health Subcommittee, said. “This common sense reform mitigates that risk by requiring VHA facilities to become 100 percent smoke-free within five years.”
“As a doctor and veteran myself, ensuring that those who I have served alongside receive the best possible care is personal to me. But I believe it should be personal to every American,” Wenstrup said. “The least we can do for those who fought for us is ensure they receive the same considerations and treatments at the VA, as they would in the private sector.”
The VA currently offers a range of smoking cessation resources, including medications, counseling, online support and access to over-the-counter nicotine replacement medications.
Smoking is not allowed in non-VA federal facilities, indoor military facilities and in most private-sector national health care systems. However, the VHA now provides 971 outdoor designated smoking areas and 15 indoor designated smoking areas, as required under the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992.
“The health and well-being of our nation’s heroes should always come first,” U.S. Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN), the chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said. “This common sense legislation would bring VA’s smoking policies into the 21st Century, ensuring veteran patients receive the same considerations as patients in the private sector.”