Ranking Member Walz Opening Statement: Legislative Hearing On The Future Of VA Community Care
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Tim Walz (D-MN) gave the following opening statement after the Committee met in open session to conduct a legislative hearing discussing nine health care related bills. Most notably, the Committee deliberated language, in two separate proposals, that will shape the future of VA’s Community Care program.
Ranking Member Walz Opening Statement As Prepared For Delivery
Over three years ago, this Committee worked together under significant public pressure and time constraints to establish the Veterans Choice Program (VCP) in response to the immediate access to care crisis.
At that time, we understood the VCP would be a temporary fix. Aside from using the time to improve VA’s internal capacity, it also allowed the Committee to assess a long-term strategy for consolidating VA’s multiple community care programs into one streamlined, easy-to-use program, based on all of the lessons learned from the VCP and other community care programs.
During this period, we have held countless hearings on the topic, and today we have the opportunity to discuss the product of those hearings – draft legislation to replace the VCP and consolidate community care.
Just last week I held a roundtable in Representative Nolan’s District, in International Falls, where we heard directly from rural veterans on what they needed from the next version of choice – I believe that based on this draft we can accomplish those requests which included:
I appreciate the input from the veterans’ community and I thank the Chairman and his staff for their hard work on this issue.
When you look at their willingness to consider and incorporate stakeholder feedback into their draft, it is evident this is not a partisan issue.
This is a veteran issue – and this Committee continues to prove that veterans, not politics, come first.
I also must thank the VSOs and VA for their support and involvement in this process.
Each have continued to provide a level of insight and expertise necessary to implement a successful replacement of such an important program.
While I am pleased at how close we are to settling on the policy underlying a Choice replacement program, I am concerned with how it will be funded.
I continue to believe that veterans do not benefit when we scrape the barrel for money by skimming from some veterans’ benefits or health care programs to pay for others.
A program of this magnitude will require more than round-downs, and I look forward to learning more about how the Chairman envisions this legislation will be paid for.
A critical component of consolidating community care is improving VA’s ability to enter into provider agreements with State Veterans Homes. That’s why I have included language in the Minority draft to do just that.
Without this modification to VA’s authority, veterans’ access to high quality nursing homes will decrease.
I hope my colleagues will support this legislation as it advances through this Committee. We must ensure the needs of our aging veteran population are being met-- future demand for these services is expected to continue to increase as the number of 85-year-old enrollees will almost double over the next 20 years.
Today this Committee will also discuss legislation that would improve the current Veterans Choice Program.
These improvements include changes to organ transplant authorizations and eligibility.
But also some changes I am concerned about – such as changes to the eligibility of veterans to seek mental health care from VA and, in certain locations, the eligibility of veterans to seek treatment for Military Sexual Assault.
I am concerned these changes to eligibility could lead to VA ultimately losing its role as coordinator and guarantor or one of its most important responsibilities - to provide high quality mental health care.
I believe that by concentrating our efforts within VA, we can better treat veterans with mental health concerns or that are suffering from MST.
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses on how we can do this more effectively.
Mr. Chairman, again thank you for your leadership and I yield back.
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