Key senators announced a bipartisan agreement Thursday on draft legislation designed to improve Veterans Affairs medical care that includes a two-year pilot program to allow veterans to obtain private care if they have to wait more than 30 days for an appointment or live more than 40 miles from a VA health facility. The bill also calls for the VA to spend $500 million in unobligated funds to hire more doctors and health care providers and authorizes construction of 26 new health clinics, including one each in Lafayette and Lake Charles.
