From June 10-13, Volunteer Coordinator Becki Parr represented TRU Community Care (TRU) at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s (NHPCO) Hospice Action Week in Washington D.C. As a We Honor Veterans Level 5 partner, TRU joined over 100 hospice and palliative care advocates from across the nation to meet with legislators and push for important end-of-life care legislation.
Becki met with staff members from the offices of Colorado Representatives Joe Neguse and Brittany Pettersen, and Senators John Hickenlooper, and Michael Bennet to advocate for two key pieces of legislation:
- Gerald’s Law Act: This bill would extend full burial and funeral benefits to survivors of veterans who choose to receive hospice care and die outside of a VA facility. Currently, veterans lose these benefits if they choose to spend their final days at home with family. The act aims to ensure veterans can make end-of-life decisions based on comfort, not cost.
- Hospice Recertification Flexibility Act: This legislation would extend current telehealth flexibilities for face-to-face encounters required for hospice recertification. This change would particularly benefit rural and frontier areas, allowing for more efficient use of staff time and resources.
As part of the Level 5 We Honor Veterans program, Becki also toured various veteran memorials in D.C. She was particularly moved by the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, which honors living veterans who carry both visible and invisible wounds from their service.
“These are the veterans we may have the opportunity to serve at their end-of-life,” Becki reflected. “The people we need to be intentional with, creating safe spaces for their stories to be held, offering veteran-specific care.”
TRU is proud of our commitment to serving veterans and advocating for improved end-of-life care for all. By participating in events like Hospice Action Week, we continue to work towards a future where all individuals can make end-of-life decisions based on comfort and personal wishes, rather than financial concerns.
To learn more about the full range of issues discussed during Hospice Action Week, please visit Hospice Action Network’s online summary and resources page.
Pictured above (from left to right) are Sasha Benner from Intermountain Health Hospice, Don Knox from Home Care & Hospice Association of Colorado, Brian Young of I Street Advocates, and Becki Parr from TRU Community Care.
