Kent Conrad: “As I visit with veterans in North Dakota and here in Washington, too often I hear that waiting periods for medical care…”

“As I visit with veterans in North Dakota and here in Washington, too often I hear that waiting periods for medical care, and particularly for specialty care, are too long. We owe an unbelievable debt to American's veterans, and it is just not right that they cannot get the medical care they need when they need it. The legislation I am introducing today begins to address this problem. Last month, as Ranking Member of the Senate Budget committee, I scheduled a field hearing in Bismarck, ND, to listen to the concerns of veterans regarding funding for the VA. Because more than fifty percent of veterans in North Dakota live in highly rural areas with limited access to VA medical facilities, I was particularly concerned about funding for VA medical care and the continuing reports from veterans regarding access to care and delays in the scheduling of appointments for medical care, especially specialty care.”