U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) today introduced a bill to hold the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) accountable and support our nation’s service members. The “Protecting Veteran Community Care Act” would strengthen the VA’s existing Community Care program and hold the VA accountable to Congress to ensure they prioritize veterans, not bureaucracy.
“Our nation’s veterans have put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms, and the last thing they should have to worry about is mismanagement and delays at the VA. I’m proud to work with my colleagues on this bill to strengthen the availability of community based mental health programs and ensure that our veterans have access to the care and resources that they deserve,” said Daines.
“Thousands of veterans call Iowa home, and each one deserves high-quality, accessible health care, including mental health care. Our legislation would strengthen the VA MISSION Act to ensure veterans can access quality care, close to home, in a timely manner,” said Grassley.
“Providing for those who’ve defended our nation is the VA’s core purpose. This means Wyoming’s courageous veterans deserve top-tier healthcare services regardless of their geographic location. I remain committed to ensuring veterans throughout our state can access the medical care they’ve earned in their local communities,” said Lummis.
Read the bill text HERE.
Specifically, the bill:
- Amends the MISSION Act to specifically include inpatient mental health standards
- Establishes minimum standards for community residential programs
- Addresses the VA’s subversion of Community Care access standards
- Requires the VA to track relevant community care data and provide those statistics to Congress
Read more of Daines’ work to support our nation’s veterans HERE.
###
Contact: Matt Lloyd, Gabby Wiggins