ARLINGTON, Va.–Following House passage of the VA MISSION Act on Wednesday, Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) applauded members for their swift action on behalf of America’s veterans.
The grassroots veterans organization singled out House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Dr. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) for providing leadership on the issue and lamented that Ranking Member Tim Walz (D-Minn.) again made an about face and refused to back these bipartisan fixes to the Veterans Health Administration.
“This bill is vital to the health and wellbeing of millions of our nation’s veterans who utilize the VA to get the care they need,” said CVA Executive Director Dan Caldwell. “We thank leaders in the House, including Chairman Roe, who worked hard on this consensus bill and shepherded it to a successful vote. Given the looming deadline to keep the Choice program funded, we’re hopeful Senators will put politics aside and get this legislation to the President’s desk by the end of the month. Every day we don’t fix the VA health care system is another day veterans are subjected to substandard care and unacceptable wait times.”
CVA Executive Director Dan Caldwell is available to comment on the vote today. To schedule an interview, reach Chris Neefus at CNeefus@cv4a.org or (703) 517-4504.
Click here to read the grassroots group’s letter of support for the VA MISSION Act.
BACKGROUND
The VA MISSION Act stabilizes and reforms the VA’s health care system by consolidating the VA’s community care programs, defining clear standards for when a veteran can access care outside of the VA, and initiates a review of the department’s infrastructure. The legislation also aims to reform the VA’s reimbursement and record-sharing systems for community providers.
The legislation enjoys broad, bipartisan support as well as the endorsement from over 40 veterans groups, including CVA.
For years, CVA has advocated for substantial health care reforms at the VA. In CVA’s Fixing Veterans Health Care Taskforce, the group advocates that veterans should have the option to take their earned health care benefits and use them to access care at the VA or in the private sector.