Kelly Ayotte: “I rise today to highlight the Veteran's Health Equity Act, a bill I am introducing with my colleague from the Granite…”

“I rise today to highlight the Veteran's Health Equity Act, a bill I am introducing with my colleague from the Granite State, Senator Jeanne Shaheen. I am pleased to support this bipartisan legislation that addresses an issue of importance to our Nation's heroic military veterans, especially in my home State of New Hampshire. As a military spouse, I personally understand the commitment and sacrifice required of our service members and their families, and I am fully committed to ensuring that our heroes have access to the support and care they have earned. The bill we are introducing would level the playing field for veterans by requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs to guarantee that veterans in every State have access to hospital care within their borders. As it stands now, New Hampshire is the only state in the nation without a full-service VA hospital or military hospital providing equivalent care to veterans. Specifically, the Veteran's Health Equity Act would require the VA to either provide a full-service VA hospital in every State or contract with civilian hospitals to provide veterans with a comparable level of care. While some States, like Alaska and Hawaii, rely on large military medical facilities to compensate for gaps in VA medical care, New Hampshire lacks the military medical facilities to compensate for a lack of a full-service VA hospital. Yet, New Hampshire has one of the highest rates of veterans per capita in the country.…”