Flores Votes to Improve Veterans' Access to Care and Improve VA Accountability f t # e
Statement
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the House-Senate conference committee agreement to the Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act. Following passage of the conference report, Congressman Bill Flores (R-Texas) issued the following statement:
"It is important that our nation's veterans have access to and receive timely, appropriate care. Unfortunately, many veterans are suffering due to the misconduct and mismanagement at some VA medical centers across the country. As a member of the House-Senate conference committee tasked with reaching a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on legislation to help our veterans, I worked to ensure that we improve access to care and accountability. With the passage of the conference report, we are taking the first step towards creating a VA for the 21st century.
"The conference report will allow veterans to seek private care if timely care is unavailable through the VA or if they reside more than 40 miles away from a VA facility. It improves access to care through the hiring of additional physicians and medical staff and cuts through the red tape that slows the hiring process. Additionally, it will provide the VA with the tools needed to succeed and institute real, lasting accountability; including giving the VA secretary broad new authority to fire or demote senior officials who fail to fulfill their responsibilities to our veterans.
"This compromise puts the care of our nation's veterans first. I am pleased to see that it passed the House with wide bipartisan support. Longer term, we need to put the VA on a path to permanent success. We must continue to focus on creating a more agile and accountable VA with a smaller bureaucracy that is more responsive to America's veterans and a better value to hardworking American taxpayers."
Congressman Bill Flores represents the 17th District of Texas and is an entrepreneur, former energy executive, Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and member of the House Budget, Natural Resources and Veterans' Affairs Committees.
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