Rocky Hill — The U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs has made "attempts" to curb its over-prescription of opioids, but those efforts haven't happened "quickly or effectively enough," U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said Friday.

Blumenthal held a news conference at the state VA headquarters to make the case for legislation, which he said would improve the VA's standards for prescribing opioids.

"All too often for far too long, the VA has relied on powerful opioid painkillers to deal with post-traumatic stress when counseling and other kinds of medical care are more appropriate," he said.

Blumenthal and Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., co-sponsored the Veterans First Act, which demands a higher level of accountability across the VA and makes improvements to benefits and care, the senators have said. 

As for the opioids issue, the legislation seeks to expand education and training around pain management; eliminate co-payments for naloxone, an opioid antidote also known as Narcan; and to monitor and track the prescription process, among other provisions.

"Many veterans may be prescribed painkillers by VA doctors, but then go outside the VA and seek the same prescriptions from private doctors," Blumenthal said.

"The tracking and monitoring has to be more effective and more comprehensive to save many of these veterans who are now victims of overuse and abuse," he said.

Veterans suffer from chronic pain at a higher rate than the general public.

More than 50 percent of veterans receiving VA health care suffer from chronic pain, according to a 2014 inspector general study.

Veterans who suffer from chronic pain also experience higher rates of PTSD, depression and joblessness, which "may contribute to the challenges of pain management when treated with opioids," the study says.

The study also found that, in fiscal year 2012, nearly 8 percent of VA patients were on take-home opioids.

Last year, an Army veteran was found dead in a public bathroom at the West Haven VA Medical Center. The chief medical examiner later ruled that accidental heroin intoxication was the cause of his death.

After implementing its Opioid Safety Initiative in 2013, the number of veterans prescribed opiods has declined by more than 100,000, the VA says.

Through the initiative, doctors promote other forms of treatment and care, such as acupuncture, for pain.

But news reports have pointed to problems with the crackdown, such as leaving veterans to fend for themselves.

Tighter prescription guidelines put in place by the Drug Enforcement Agency to curtail the opioid epidemic have created similar problems, reports show.

Blumenthal said that "powerful painkillers have an appropriate role."

"Chronic pain is a pernicious condition and some people need Percocet or Vicodin or Oxycodone but many others can benefit from other therapies," he said.

"This measure includes greater availability of chiropractic care, which can deal with many of the chronic pain symptoms that are so absolutely atrociously ruining the lives of veterans," he said, "and that kind of alternative therapy should be available in greater amount from professionals who are funded by the VA."

Blumenthal said that, with the strong support the bill has received from the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, that he expects it to go straight to the Senate floor for a vote.

j.bergman@theday.com