Goodlatte: Veterans Deserve Access to Quality Care

Statement

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved S. 2372, the John S. McCain III, Daniel K. Akaka, and Samuel R. Johnson VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks (VA MISSION) Act of 2018. Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) released the following statement after voting in support of the VA MISSION Act:

"Our veterans faithfully served us, and it's time we serve them by providing the care they deserve. By streamlining the VA's community care programs into one comprehensive operation, implementing a process for reviewing the VA's assets to ensure veterans can access the care they have earned, strengthening the VA's workforce through modernization and recruitment, and expanding the Family Caregiver Program to pre-9/11 veterans, we can ensure our nation's heroes have access to high-quality health care in every community in the United States.

"The bill also provides additional funding for the Veterans Choice Program, a vital program I have supported that allows veterans to seek care outside of the VA system if they cannot get an appointment at their local VA facility in a timely manner or they live more than 40 miles away from the nearest VA medical facility. Funding for this program expires at the end of the month, and asking our veterans to wait for care is simply unacceptable. The bipartisan VA MISSION Act builds off the work done by Congress over the past several years to right the ship after serious failures within in the VA system were revealed. The Senate needs to join the House in passing this bill and getting it to the President's desk. America's veterans answered the call to duty, now it's our duty to provide for them."

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