The president has indicated he will sign the VA Mission Act, which makes access to private care easier for veterans, reviews the health system's infrastructure, and expands caregiver programs.
The Senate passed the VA Mission Act with a 92-5 vote Wednesday and sent the sweeping $55 billion reforms legislation to President Donald Trump, who has said he will sign the bill.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on the Senate floor Wednesday that the bill "removes those arbitrary time and distance requirements that limit eligibility for outside care."
"It replaces those one-size-fits-all policies with a conversation between veterans and their own doctors about what works best. This will empower more veterans to access the care they need—when and where they need it," McConnell said.
Tom Nickels, executive vice president of the American Hospital Association, praised Congress for passing the bill, saying it will ensure veterans have access to quality healthcare.
"We are pleased that the legislation consolidates multiple VA community care programs into one permanent 'Veterans Community Care Program,'" Nickels said in a statement Wednesday. "This will provide continuity for veterans to access care outside of the VA’s medical network and decrease confusion about eligibility criteria and covered services."
Key components of the bill:
- Streamlines the process by which the VA issues payments for private care. VA physicians will now be given the authority to determine whether a veteran would be better off visiting a private physician because a VA facility is too far away or has overly long wait times, as NPR reported.
- Expands telemedicine and community health partnership options.
- Starts a review of the VA's infrastructure with plans to close down underused facilities that aren't worth keeping open. Congress has vowed to provide close scrutiny for any proposal to close a VA hospital.
- Expands a family caregiver stipend to include Vietnam veterans within two years, and all veterans within four years, as the Associated Press reported.
Opponents of the legislation believe it moves the VA too far toward privatization. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the former chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, voted against the bill and said it provides no funding to fill more than 30,000 positions at the VA that the Trump administration has left vacant
The passage of the bill and Trump's signature will extend the life of the VA Choice program, which was set to run out of funding in June.
This spring marks 4yrs since the Phoenix VA crisis. We won't forget what happened to our GREAT VETS. Choice is vital, but the program needs work & is running out of $. Congress must fix Choice Program by Memorial Day so VETS can get the care they deserve. I will sign immediately!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2018
John Commins is the news editor for HealthLeaders.