Plane Talk - Midwest Flight 56,
Seat 7C
Friday night, Steve picked me up from the
airport and we drove up to Highland in Doniphan
County, the northeast corner of the state.
We had scheduled a Congress on Your Corner at
8:00 a.m. on Saturday, so it made sense to spend
the night -- and did we ever luck out!
We stayed in a B&B run by a retired
farm couple, Gene and Sally. I'd be remiss if I
didn't mention just how much Sally looked like
Mrs. Claus -- same smile, same twinkle in her
eyes. (Those who know her know I'm not
exaggerating a bit!) Gene welcomed us and made
us feel so at home. Sally fixed a dream
breakfast with a soufflé and delicate, perfectly
baked cinnamon rolls. Then they got us out
the door and on our way.
Saturday, we held two Congress
on Your Corners, one each in Highland and
in Horton. We also attended the 150th
anniversary celebration for Highland Community
College, the oldest community college in Kansas.
It has educated the mayors, business people, and
community leaders who have been the mainstay of
Kansas towns. It's hard to think of northeast
Kansas without thinking of the college.
Monday started the National Salute to
Hospitalized Veterans Week. It's always during
the week of Valentine's Day, and its focus is
encouraging citizens to volunteer at the VA. If
you have some spare time, I'd recommend it.
You'll feel truly blessed.
We visited
the nursing home at the Topeka VA on Monday,
then the med/surge unit and domiciliary at the
Leavenworth VA on Tuesday. I spoke with
veterans Mike, Fred, Dennis, and Steve, and so
many others. All shared the same
message: how grateful they were for the
care they get at the VA. No, the system isn't
perfect, but the care veterans receive is, by
and large, very good. No one even
complained about the food!
Even
though veterans seem generally very happy with
the care they receive in VA facilities, I've
heard many concerns about the terrible VA
backlog that prevents some veterans from
receiving treatment at all. Getting VA
benefits can be a true nightmare.
The
good news is that, in the last year, the new
Congress has made historic investments to
improve VA care.
The Topeka VA received
an additional $2 million for mental health
care. The terribly outdated ICU in
Leavenworth is finally being renovated, and
there is now a permanent full-time administrator
at Leavenworth. But even more importantly,
instead of cutting back on personnel, both
locations are in continuous hiring mode for
nurses and other health care professionals.
It was a fight last year to put this new
VA funding in place, and it will probably be a
fight again this year -- but it's a good fight
and one I'm glad to be part of.
During National Salute to
Hospitalized Veterans Week, I hope you'll take a
few moments to tell a veteran "thank you."
While you're at it, tell the VA staff "thank
you," too! They are serving our country by
serving our veterans.
Grace and
peace,

Nancy Boyda
Member of
Congress
Casework Corner -
2007 Year in Review
By
Joshua Dieker
District
Representative
At the beginning of a new
year, I like to look back and reflect on the
lessons learned and the accomplishments of the
previous one. Being that this was our office’s
first year in operation, there is plenty to
reflect upon. On day one we hit the ground
running, and we haven’t looked back
since.
In our first month alone it became
clear that many of our neighbors in the district
were struggling with Social Security, the VA,
Medicare, immigration and numerous other issues.
Our constituent services operation went from
three people to seven as the case load grew. By
summer we were working like a well oiled
machine.
(Continue
reading...)
This Week
in Congress - February 4 to February 11,
2008
On Monday, Jane Kelly
of the Kansas Home Care Association and Judy
Bellome of the Douglas County Visiting Nurses
visited my Topeka office to talk about health
care issues. Visiting later that day were John
Strickler and Laura Downey of the Kansas
Association for Conservation and Environmental
Education to discuss environmental
education.
On Tuesday, Secretary of the
Army Pete Geren visited Fort Leavenworth, and
the base held a formal reception in honor of his
visit. Later that day I flew back to Washington,
D.C. for the week's votes. While I was in Kansas
on Tuesday, my staff in D.C. met with
representatives of the Kansas School Board
Association, the Kansas Realtors, the Kansas
Health Underwriters, Kansas State University,
the Kansas Council of Insurance Agents, and the
American Academy of Child and Adolescent
Psychiatry.
On Wednesday, the House Armed
Services Committee held a full committee hearing
on the fiscal year 2009 national defense budget
request from the Department of
Defense.
Thursday was a real treat: Wes
Davis, a pastor from southeast Kansas, opened
the House of Representatives for the day with a
prayer. In speaking of the partisan rhetoric
that so often divides Congress, Pastor Davis
said, "Help them see this clashing and grating
as an opportunity to sharpen thought, to cut
through rhetoric and to pierce conscience for
the benefit of humanity." Later that day, I met
with intern students from KU, as well as with
Donna Huffman of the Kansas Association of
Mortgage Brokers. Then the House Armed Services
Committee Personnel Subcommittee met for an
overview on beneficiary advocacy.
On
Friday, I attended a briefing on the report of
the independent Commission on the National Guard
and Reserves. Afterward, Lori Goodson – a winner
of the Kansas award for the National Foundation
for Improvement in Education – visited the
office; she is one of 10 finalists nationwide
for the National Education Association's
teaching award.
On Saturday, Steve and I
visited Highland and Horton for Congress on
Your Corner events, where we met with
Kansans to talk about issues pending before
Congress and to offer assistance with federal
agencies. We also attended Highland Community
College’s 150th anniversary celebration, and
Levi Henry offered a briefing on the Mission
Lake Project in Horton. Finally, I wrapped up
the week at the LULAC Sweetheart Dance at the
Kansas Expocentre in
Topeka.