Political Quotes

“I believe in the concept of allowing our veterans to receive medical care closer to home. I remember taking care of my dad during the last few months of his life and driving him back and forth from Iowa City hospitals several hours at a time for my dad to get the care he needed. While we appreciated the service and the care provided through the VA, I believe that we must continue to make improvements to the care our veterans receive. I talked to many constituents in the Illinois 17th District who feel the same way. In 2008, a law was passed that created a pilot program called Access Received Closer to Home, also known as Project ARCH. This program helps veterans who are more than 60 minutes away from the nearest VA health care facility to receive primary care for services at non-VA health centers that contract with the VA. I believe this is a very promising program for our veterans, and this amendment would allow Project ARCH to serve more veterans, and here's how: A 2011 audit of the Office of Rural Health found that, at the end of fiscal year 2010, the Office of Rural Health had obligated $16 million of its budget. {time} 1800 The audit went on to find examples of lapsed funding that ``constituted missing opportunities for the Office of Rural Health to improve access and quality of care for rural veterans.'' This amendment would help turn these missed opportunities into more veterans served.…”