The Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill supported by President Trump that would give more veterans the option of seeing doctors outside the Veterans Affairs system. The bill passed 92-5.
The bill would allow more veterans to go outside the VA healthcare system and use private-sector doctors when VA medical centers can’t provide appointments within a month, veterans have to drive more than 40 minutes to access care, or when care is determined inadequate by VA leaders. It also would provide more access to caregivers…
“Veterans of all eras rely on the promise of accessible, quality care when they return home,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., wrote on Twitter. “But too often, the VA has fallen short of fulfilling it, with long waiting lists and limited treatment options. The shortcomings of the federal bureaucracy were apparent.”