Congressman Jack Kingston Votes to Improve Veterans' Care

Press Release

Congressman Jack Kingston (R-GA) voted in favor of H.R. 4810, the Veterans Access to Care Act, of which he is a cosponsor, today and issued the following statement:

​"I am encouraged by the real progress this legislation makes in expanding choices for our veterans, ensuring those on waiting lists have access to quality healthcare, and that bureaucrats at the VA are held accountable. Congress must continue to fix the broken government-run healthcare system that is letting our veterans down."

Congressman Kingston wrote to the President about delays in treating veterans more than a year ago, and was reassured in a reply that then-Secretary Shinseki was aware of the issues and addressing them. The letter also included an acknowledgement and appreciation of increased funding for the Veterans Administration. The original letter can be viewed here, and the reply here.

Congressman Kingston is a senior member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and has represented five of Georgia's seven military bases.

Details about HR 4810, courtesy of the Veterans Affairs Committee:
The Veterans Access to Care Act would require VA to offer non-VA care at the department's expense to any enrolled veteran who cannot get an appointment within VA wait time goals or who lives more than 40 miles from a VA medical facility
Any care provided by a non-Department facility not under an existing VA contract would be reimbursed at the rate set by the VA, Tricare, or Medicare--whichever is greatest
The access portions of the bill would sunset two years after enactment of the bill
The bill would ban bonuses for all VA employees from FY 2014 -- 2016 and require VA to submit a quarterly report to Congress including usage info and an accounting as to what purchase methods were used to provide non-VA care
The bill would require an independent assessment of Veterans Health Administration performance, to include recommendations for improvement of VA's current and projected health care capabilities and resources
Under the bill, VA would be required to report to HVAC/SVAC on the Department's response to the assessment's findings and provide timelines for fully implementing the audit's recommendations.
The bill would also require the Office of Management and Budget to provide an estimate of the budgetary effects of the bill and any transfer authority needed to utilize savings realized by eliminating bonuses as well as a request for any additional budgetary resources, or transfers or reprogramming of existing budgetary resources necessary to pay for the bill
The Veterans Access to Care Act would complement the VA Management Accountability Act, a bill Chairman Miller introduced that passed the house overwhelmingly last month and would give the VA secretary the power to fire failing VA executives for performance

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