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VA Choice legislation passes Senate |
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April 4, 2017 |
Legislation cosponsored by Idaho Senator Mike
Crapo to continue providing Idaho veterans with
options to access their earned care benefits
unanimously passed the United States Senate on
Monday evening.
The bipartisan bill, introduced by Senator Jon
Tester (D-Montana) and Senator Jerry Moran
(R-Kansas), will extend the Veterans Choice
Program through January 2018 until Congress can
pass a longer term fix.
In 2014, the Senate passed the original Veterans
Choice Program, or Choice program, following
news reports of negligence on the part of
hospitals administered by the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) including falsifying
records to show that patients were seen within a
specified period of time and maintaining
waitlists.
The Choice program is scheduled to end in August
2017.
With the extension to 2018, the bill would allow
veterans to continue to go outside the VA system
to receive care if they meet certain criteria.
These include having to wait more than 30 days
for an appointment or having to drive more than
40 miles to receive care at a VA facility.
“Through my veterans surveys and more than 200
town meetings, I have heard from Idaho’s
veterans frequently about the inability to
access their earned medical benefits from VA
providers,” Crapo said. “Adding to this
frustration is that often, local care options
exist that can provide the same level of care
obtained at a VA hospital and in a faster
timeframe. This bill is a stop-gap as I continue
to work with my colleagues to enact long-term
solutions to the challenges faced by veterans,
especially in rural areas, where distance
factors considerably in veterans’ access to
care.”
The Veterans Choice extension is now slated to
go to the House of Representatives this week. |
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