Dear Barbara, Thank you for contacting me regarding veterans issues. It was good to hear from you. I appreciate you sharing your friend Cheryls letter with me, Barbara. I was moved and disheartened by her story. It demonstrates the real need to improve accountability within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and increase veterans access to health care. You may be interested to know about two efforts I am involved with to address these important issues. First, on July 31, 2014, the Senate passed, with my support, the Veterans Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act (H.R. 3230) on an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 91-3. H.R. 3230 will improve VA efficiency and expand care, especially in rural areas. This bill will allow veterans who cant get appointments in the VA within 30 days or those living more than 40 miles from a VA hospital or clinic to go to community health centers, military hospitals, or private doctors; expand the authority to immediately remove incompetent senior VA officials; and authorize 27 new VA medical facilities. In addition, the bill will enable the VA to hire new medical personnel to address shortages and establish commissions on VA construction and scheduling practices. The House of Representatives also passed this bill, and the President is expected to sign it into law. Please know I will continue engaging with national and local VA leaders as they work to improve efficiency and quality of care. Second, I am an original cosponsor of the Comprehensive Veterans Health and Benefits and Military Retirement Pay Restoration Act (S. 1982), which was introduced by Senator Sanders (I-VT) on February 3, 2014. S. 1982 would take many important steps to provide veterans with the benefits and care they have earned after serving our nation. In particular, the bill would make improvements to the VA claims system to end the disability backlog, expand access to education benefits, and improve veterans access to health care and dental care. Additionally, S. 1982 would provide advanced appropriations for the mandatory accounts of the VA to ensure veterans receive uninterrupted access to their care and benefits, and extend access to the VA health care system from five to 10 years for recently separated veterans. Passing S. 1982 is the right thing to do for our veterans. Unfortunately, on February 27, 2014, S. 1982 did not receive the 60 votes necessary to overcome a budget point of order, ending floor consideration of the bill. I will continue to work with my colleagues to renew consideration of this important legislation. Finally, you also mentioned the ongoing VA scheduling scandal. To say these reports are disheartening is an understatement. Although I was pleased to learn there was no indication of scheduling misconduct at North Dakota VA facilities, we must see definitive action by the VA—not just open-ended promises—to address the uncovered issues and rebuild trust in the VA. I also expect those responsible for the scheduling misconduct to be held accountable and will continue to monitor developments in the investigation as they unfold. Again, thank you for contacting me. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any additional questions or concerns in the future. Sincerely, Heidi Heitkamp United States Senate
Posted on: Sat, 09 Aug 2014 21:06:10 +0000
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