As the lawmakers' attempt to address the unavoidable backlogs at the Veterans Affairs healthcare system, the US Senate has passed a bill on Wednesday that would allow veterans to seek care from private providers should they face longer wait times at VA facilities. Yesterday, a similar bill was also passed by the House, USA Today noted. The move by the US Congress received bipartisan support for its swift legislative efforts on the issue.
According to the bill, veterans can now go to civilian doctors for the next two years the nearest VA treatment center is more than 40 miles or if a schedule for an appointment has not been set. The legislation also provides funding for more health providers in the VA healthcare system.
It could be noted that the bill also added a provision to address concerns of VA administrators who perform poorly in their jobs. The bill will now allow the immediate firing of VA officials and administrators and has expedited the appeals process as well.
The original Senate bill came following the series of scandals that plagued the troubled VA department. In one investigation, it was found that several dozens of veterans had died waiting for care, ten thousands more who had to wait more than three months for their first-ever appointments, and ten thousands who might have been denied appointments.
One of the authors of the bill, Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders said on Tuesday, "Our job is to make certain that every veteran in the country gets quality health care in a timely manner. At a time when 2 million more veterans have come into the VA in the last four years, we must ensure that there are enough doctors, nurses and other health care professionals to meet the needs of veterans in every facility in the country."
