House passes bill to cut backlog at VA

Press Release

Today the House of Representatives, with the support of Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-Channahon), passed the Veterans Access to Care Act, allowing veterans who cannot get an appointment within VA wait time goals or live more than 40 miles from a VA medical facility to seek private care in an effort to reduce the nationwide backlog of claims. Congressman Kinzinger, a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been outspoken on the widespread problems at the VA and pushed for immediate action to solve the backlog.

"Getting our veterans the care they deserve is an issue that we can all agree must be at the top of our priorities," said Kinzinger. "This bill will give veterans more flexibility to find healthcare in a timely fashion and begin the process of reforming the VA to ensure we honor the commitment our nation has made to provide veterans with quality and timely care."

The Veterans Access to Care Act also eliminates bonuses and performances awards for all VA employees during fiscal years 2014-2016. Additionally, it requires quarterly reporting to Congress on the hospital care and medical services provided under this authority as well as requires an independent review to identify improvement areas and recommendations to address related problems at the VA.

The Veterans Health Administration reported in a recent audit that 57,436 veterans have waited more than 90 days to see a doctor and still have not received care. The report also indicated that more than 100,000 veterans are facing "long wait times" that are outside the VA's wait time goals.

The House of Representative voted 426-0 in favor of the bill, which must now be passed by the Senate and signed by the President before becoming law.

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