Veterans Update: July 8, 2014
Senator Susan Collins
Veterans Update: July 2014
Senator Collins, the daughter of a WWII Veteran who was wounded twice during the Battle of the Bulge, addressed both the American Legion and VFW state conventions recently in Bangor. Among the topics important to our Veterans, Senator Collins talked about the Veterans' Access to Care Through Choice Act, a bill she cosponsored that would address many of the systemic problems and mismanagement within the VA that recently came to light. The bill passed the Senate on June 11.
(Click the play button above or click here to watch the story from the Legion convention)
The bill would allow the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to remove certain employees based upon their poor performance and would facilitate the speedy hiring of doctors and other medical professionals necessary to meet the needs of Veterans nationwide. In addition, the bill would establish a two-year pilot program providing Veterans who have not received an initial appointment within the Department's current wait-time goals with the opportunity to seek VA-covered services through providers outside of the VA network.
(Pictures from the VFW convention)
“I am hopeful that both the House and the Senate will work together quickly to resolve any differences between the two bills so that legislation can be sent to the President to be signed into law,” said Senator Collins.
SENATOR COLLINS REQUESTS IMMEDIATE ACTION TO KEEP ARCH RUNNING
Senator Collins sent a letter to Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Sloan Gibson requesting that the VA take immediate steps to continue the Access Received Closer to Home (ARCH) pilot program in the upcoming year. The program permits the Togus VA Medical Center to oversee treatment provided to Veterans at Cary Medical Center, allowing them to receive quality care without traveling hundreds of miles roundtrip to Augusta.
The Senate Appropriations Committee, of which Senator Collins is a member, recently approved its annual Veterans Affairs funding bill for FY 2015 that includes a provision she authored directing the VA to continue the services provided by ARCH and providing $35 million for this purpose. The letter urges Acting Secretary Gibson to take immediate steps to continue the ARCH program given the inclusion of this directive in the Committee-passed bill."Loss of the ARCH program would put a great burden on the veterans in Aroostook County who currently use the program," said John W. Wallace, Maine President of Vietnam Veterans of America. "We appreciate Senator Collins' hard work in preserving ARCH in Aroostook."
MAINE VA HOSPITAL FARES WELL IN AUDIT
A May 14 audit found that 99 percent of doctor visits took place in 30 days or less at the Togus facility in Maine, although 664 veterans did have to wait more than a month. The audit is the first nationwide look at the VA network following the recent series of crises in the VA system.
(Togus VA Medical Center)
Ryan Lilly, director of the VA Maine Health Care System, said that he’s pleased with the overall results. “We’re doing well. The 99 percent figure confirms that,” Lilly said. Regardless, the VA wants to do even better in Maine. It is looking into whether the delayed appointments can be moved up, or transferred to private health care at the VA’s expense, he added.
SENATOR COLLINS SUPPORTS PROVIDING VETERANS WITH MORE LONG-TERM CARE OPTIONS
Senator Collins joined several of her fellow Senators in urging Acting VA Secretary Gibson to finalize a rule that would authorize the VA to enter into agreements with more long-term care providers, including nursing homes. When implemented, the rule would expand Veterans’ access to long-term care facilities and could allow for many to access these services closer to their homes.
Under current law, the VA can enter into contractual agreements with private providers of extended care, but due to the cost of compiling and reporting data under VA procedures, many small providers of extended care are unwilling or unable to admit VA patients. Releasing the rule would allow the VA to make a standard provider agreement with community nursing homes, allowing Veterans expanded access to quality extended care.
VA ANNOUNCES ONLINE VETERANS EMPLOYMENT CENTER
This spring, the Administration announced the launch of a new online employment resource for Veterans. The Veterans Employment Center, which can be accessed by clicking here, brings together public and private job postings, a resume-builder, a military skills translator, and career and training resources.
If you are a Veteran and have questions about what government resources may be available to you upon separation from the Armed Forces, please do not hesitate to contact one of Senator Collins' six Constituent Service Centers, located all across Maine from York to Aroostook.
(Click above to access the Employment Center)
OFFICE OF UNITED STATES SENATOR SUSAN COLLINS413 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-2523
Fax: (202) 224-2693
To UNSUBSCRIBE, please reply to this email with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line.
