The House recently passed the VA Mission Act of 2018 (S. 2372), a bipartisan package to overhaul the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and fund the Choice Program.
This bill builds off of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee’s ongoing work to facilitate access to timely, quality care for veterans in North Carolina.
The bill would streamline the department’s duplicative community care programs into one cohesive program; create a non-partisan process for reviewing VA’s assets to ensure veterans can access the care they have earned; and expand the VA’s Post-9/11 Caregiver Program to all eras. These reforms are supported by dozens of major Veterans Service Organizations and stakeholders. The bill also includes funding for the Choice Program that is expected to last until the new program authorized under the VA MISSION Act is implemented.
U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08), Fort Bragg’s Congressman, released the following statement after the House passed the VA Mission Act of 2018:
“The VA’s bureaucracy is not going to get fixed unless Congress forces its hand, and today’s landmark legislation goes a long way,” said Rep. Hudson. “Much like my Care Veterans Deserve Act, it aims to give veterans more options and flexibility in choosing their health care while streamlining current VA programs. In addition, it expands the VA’s caregiver program to help ensure the 4 million spouses, family members, and friends who care for ill or injured service members and veterans have the support they need. As representative of the fastest growing veteran population, I’m proud to support this bill and I’ll continue to work to ensure veterans have timely access to quality care – both within the VA and in our community.”
North Carolina is home to more than 700,000 veterans.
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