Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks | Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks Website
Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks | Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks Website
Washington, D.C. –U.S. Representatives Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health, Mike Bost (IL-12), Chair of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Jack Bergman (MI-01), Aumua Amata Radewagen (AS-00), Greg Murphy (NC-03), Derrick Van Orden (WI-03), Jen Kiggans (VA-02), and Nancy Mace (SC-01) today introduced the Veteran Care Improvement Act, legislation to improve and expand VA health services. Most notably, the Veteran Care Improvement Act will incentivize partnerships between the VA and community providers. Text of the bill may be found here.
“Our men and women in uniform dedicate their lives to protecting our nation, and it’s our duty to ensure they receive the best possible care—both during and after their service,” said Miller-Meeks. “Improving the quality and accessibility of care for veterans has remained one of my top priorities in Congress, and I’m proud to lead this important piece of legislation.”
“Our veterans have earned world class healthcare and deserve no less than timely access to it. I applaud Health Chairwoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ introduction of the Veteran Care Improvement Act of 2023 to provide just that and continue to positively transform the VA healthcare system,” said Bost. “Specifically, this bill would set a baseline expectation for timeliness of care and establish an access standard for Substance Abuse Disorder treatment, which, following our oversight hearing on substance abuse, we know is long overdue. This bill also addresses head-on issues we’ve continued to hear about community care access. I am grateful to Chairwoman Miller-Meeks for her leadership and commitment to providing our former servicemembers with the best care catered to their individual needs.”
Background:
The Veteran Care Improvement Act would continue to make the VA health care system more accessible and accountable to those in need of its services.
- It would codify current access standards, setting a baseline expectation for timeliness of care.
- It would establish a defined access standard for the provision of residential substance abuse treatment, recognizing that when a veteran decides that help is needed, time is of the essence.
- It would require VA to be more transparent with veterans when they are deciding their best options for care, whether in the VA or in the community.
- It would create a pilot program through the Center for Innovation to incentivize how community providers interact with VA, creating a more collaborative and value-based approach.
Original source can be found here.
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