“Officials for the Department of Veterans Affairs declined to participate Wednesday in a Senate hearing about the progress in implementing the Mission Act, a law passed two years ago to help improve health care for veterans.”
“’I scheduled this hearing because of my dissatisfaction with the pace of Mission implementation,’ Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, said at the hearing. ‘While VA officials were invited to participate in today’s hearing…the department chose to decline.’”
“Under the VA Mission Act of 2018, standards were dramatically loosened to allow veterans to seek mental health services, urgent care and primary care outside the federal system. The landmark effort was spurred by controversies surrounding excessive wait times for care at VA facilities and long distances some veterans had to travel to federal hospitals, especially patients from rural areas.”
“However, the shift to more care outside the government umbrella has raised concerns from some Democrats and progressive activists about creeping privatization in the VA and how that could take precedence over investing in federal facilities and employees. Congress provided about $15 billion for community care in the VA’s latest budget. Richard Stone, executive in charge of the Veterans Health Administration, told Congress in February that outside care costs about $1 billion each month, which sets spending within funding levels. However, the full impact of the coronavirus pandemic on community care remains unclear…” Read the full article here.
Source: VA officials refuse to participate in Senate hearing on landmark veterans health care law – By Steve Beynon, October 21, 2020. Stars and Stripes.
