John Rice Carter: “I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the VA Mission Telehealth Clarification Act…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the VA Mission Telehealth Clarification Act, which I am proud to have introduced. H.R. 3228, the VA Mission Telehealth Clarification Act, is a simple bill that builds on the VA MISSION Act's historic expansion of the veterans health system. One of the most significant parts of the VA MISSION Act was the authorization for the VA to use telehealth and provide care across State lines. The bill began as the result of a visit I had to a VA facility before the current pandemic, as they laid out some of the issues they were trying to overcome. But now with the COVID- 19 pandemic, we are seeing how extremely beneficial these technologies can be for our veterans. In fact, the VA Medical Center in Charleston, South Carolina, which serves part of my district along Georgia's coast, had an over 200 percent increase in telehealth medical services during the pandemic when we spoke in May. Even more incredibly, the VA announced it had a 1,000 percent increase in telehealth video appointments using its VA Video Connect Program during the first months of the pandemic. This is an extremely important ability for the VA to have. However, the law did not authorize trainees within the VA to use telehealth technologies, only practitioners with a full license.…”