by VA Cabinet Secretary Robert Wilkie | Originally published on FOX News
Imagine if Republicans and Democrats worked together to pass reforms that improve the lives of millions of people.
And imagine if those reforms put America’s veterans at the center of their health care decisions, leading to better customer service for our nation’s heroes.
This isn’t hypothetical. It happened last year when Congress passed the MISSION Act.
TRUMP REPORTEDLY TAKING BROAD LOOK AT VETERANS CONVICTED OF BATTLEFIELD CRIMES
The law gives the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) the ability to provide veterans with the best health care possible, whether at VA health care facilities or with community providers.
The legislation sailed through Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support and the strong backing of veterans service organizations.
President Donald J. Trump’s signature put us on a path to implementing these reforms. On June 6, the MISSION Act will enable VA to consolidate the department’s community care efforts into a single, simple-to-use program that will empower veterans with the ability to choose the health care providers they trust.
So what can veterans expect on June 6?
Less red tape, more satisfaction and predictability for patients, more efficiency for our clinicians, and better value for taxpayers.
Veterans will be eligible to get community care for a variety of reasons, including when VA can’t provide the treatment they need or when care outside our system is in the best medical interest of the patient.
We listened to veterans and heard they preferred standards based on drive times rather than driving mileage because those standards better reflect veteran experiences, especially in large urban areas with lots of traffic.
(To read the entire article click here. )
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