Memorial Day has come and gone, once again reminding us of the debt of gratitude we owe to those who laid down their lives for this country. We owe the same debt to the veterans still here today – we must stand up for them just as they stood up for us. Part of that commitment means providing our veterans with access to quality health care, and in rural states like Maine, that task can be a difficult one. Although under the Choice Act Congress was able to pass major reforms to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) last August, there’s more work to be done. That’s why this year I’ve been working on a bill to improve access to critical health care services for our rural vets, and am pleased to say it has passed the Senate with unanimous support.
To meet our obligation to the veteran community, Sen.Collins and I joined with Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) to introduce the Access to Community Care for Veterans Act of 2015. This bill, which passed the Senate on the Friday before Memorial Day, requires the VA to use its existing authorities to enable veterans to receive care outside the VA if they live more than 40 miles driving distance from the closest VA facility that provides the type of care they need.
Our legislation provides a solution to this problem by allowing veterans to use the Choice Program to access non-VA care if the VA facility within 40 miles driving distance to their home does not offer the medical service they need.
The successes of the Access Received Closer to Home (ARCH) program highlights Maine’s role at the forefront of improving veterans’ access to quality health care. As one of five pilot sites across the country, the project allows veterans in northern Maine to receive specialty care at a private hospital in Caribou rather than travel the hundreds of miles to Togus. This model has the benefit of not only saving VA — and taxpayer — dollars through reduced travel reimbursement, but also allows our veterans to receive care in their hometowns.
We as a state and country must remain dedicated to these brave men and women. They put their lives on the line to protect our nation and they deserve access to quality health care without miles of red tape and the burden of long hours of travel. It’s just common sense.
