"Each of these bills would go a great distance toward improving the health care available to our nation's veterans," said Senator Collins. The Collins-backed bills that were approved by the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee are as follows:
· S. 1153, would allow Medicare-eligible veterans to obtain prescription drugs from the Department of Veterans Affairs at significantly discounted prices.
· S. 2327, would clarify the rules that determine the way in which the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) distributes funds used to support State Veterans Homes across the country. The bill would protect the right of state veterans' homes, such as the Maine Veterans' Homes, to retain the stipend they receive from the VA for each wartime veteran being cared for in the home. This would prevent the Department of Health and Human Services from taking that stipend in cases where a veteran is Medicaid eligible.
· S. 2417, would provide short-term neonatal care for children born to women who are eligible for VA medical care.
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