Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 4810, the Veteran Access to Care Act of 2014. I want to thank the chairman for bringing this bill forward. I also want to thank the chairman and the staff on both the majority and minority side for all the work that they have been doing to get to the bottom of this crisis within the Department. Access to timely, quality health care for veterans is a top priority for the Veterans' Affairs Committee. We often hear that the care that veterans receive at the VA facilities is second to none--that is, if you can get in. As we have recently learned, tens of thousands of veterans are not getting in, having to wait weeks and even months to access VA medical centers throughout the country. The gravity of the delay in care that veterans from all areas are experiencing cannot be overstated and is totally unacceptable. This legislation would help to alleviate the backlog of veteran patients waiting to be seen at VA medical facilities both for specialty care and primary care appointments. Specifically, it requires the VA to provide access to non-VA care to any enrolled veteran who lives more than 40 miles from a VA medical facility, has waited longer than the wait time goals for a medical appointment, or has been notified by the VA that an appointment is not available within the wait time goals.…”