The House approved legislation on Wednesday that would extend the Veterans Choice Program with support from U.S. Reps. Bill Flores (R-TX) and Jackie Walorski (R-IN).
The Veterans Choice Program Improvement Act, S. 544, would eliminate the August 7 sunset date on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Choice Program, which lets veterans seek care at non-VA providers when wait times or commutes are too long for VA care.
The legislation was passed by the Senate earlier this week and now heads to the president to be signed into law.
Congress established the Veterans Choice Program in response to the VA waiting list scandal to ensure that the nation’s veterans have access to timely care in their own communities.
“Today, the House voted to preserve this beneficial program rather than sunsetting it this August,” said U.S. Rep. Bill Flores (R-TX). “This bill also streamlines the processes between the VA and community health care providers to help ease the burdens of our veterans.”
“By extending the Veterans Choice Program, veterans will continue to receive the medical care they deserve while Congress continues its work to create a 21st century VA that will serve our veteran population with access to high-quality care,” Flores said.
Walorski, meanwhile, said nothing should stand in the way of providing the men and women who served their country the care they earned.
“As Congress and the Trump administration continue working to fix the VA so it works for veterans, extending the Veterans Choice Program is critical to making sure our veterans get the care they need,” Walorski said. “We must do more to eliminate VA scheduling problems and help veterans access private care through the Choice program when they face long wait times.”
A recent VA Office of Inspector General report found that inaccuracies in VA facilities’ wait time data resulting from improper scheduling practices limited veterans’ access to care through the Veterans Choice Program.
Walorski recently reintroduced the VA Scheduling Accountability Act to ensure all VA facilities follow appropriate scheduling practices and report wait times accurately.
The VA Scheduling Accountability Act, H.R. 467, would codify an annual requirement for each VA facility director to certify compliance with VA scheduling protocols and eliminate future waivers for the requirement. The measure would also require the VA secretary to report annually to Congress on facilities that have not met compliance certification requirements.