WASHINGTON - Congressman Andy Barr praised the passage of the Veterans Access to Care Act of 2014, saying:
"Kentucky veterans have sacrificed so much in service to our nation, and it's critical that they receive the care they have been promised and the services they have earned,” said Congressman Barr. "To ensure that all veterans have the opportunity to get the care they need, I am glad that the House has passed H.R. 4810, the Veterans Access to Care Act of 2014, legislation that would allow veterans to receive health care from local non-VA health centers and would enhance VA coordination of this care received outside of a VA. This bill and H.R. 3775, the Karen Tufts Military SAVE Act I introduced last year, would help address the challenges facing the VA by providing these brave men and women the very freedom of individual choice they have fought to protect."
Barr was an original cosponsor of H.R. 4810, the Veterans Access to Care Act of 2014, which would:
Require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to offer non-VA care at the department's expense to any enrolled veteran who cannot get an appointment within VA wait time goals - currently 14 days - or who lives more than 40 miles from a VA medical facility.
The bill would also ban bonuses for all VA employees from FY 2014 - 2016 and require VA to submit a quarterly report to Congress including usage info and an accounting as to what purchase methods were used to provide non-VA care.
Barr also authored and introduced H.R. 3775, the Karen Tufts Military Sexual Assault Victims Empowerment Act, or the Military SAVE Act, which would empower survivors of military sexual trauma to select their own care providers and provide the support these brave service members have earned.