There are about 18 million American veterans living today. More than 9 million veterans are served each year by the 1,074 outpatient sites and 170 Medical Centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Studies show at least 20% of our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or clinical depression. However, it is estimated that at least half of those who are ill with these disorders do not seek treatment and are therefore not counted in these statistics. Another 19% of our war vets have traumatic brain injuries (TBI) while 7% are suffering from both PTSD and TBI. Alcohol abuse is reported in nearly 40% of all Iraq/Afghanistan veterans returning home. Much worse, active-duty personnel are now much more likely to die from suicide than combat.

Not surprisingly, our VA has been hard-pressed to keep up with the increased demand for its services by so many injured during our record-breaking 17 years at war. In 2014, the media reported that at least 40 vets have died while awaiting care at the Phoenix VA facility. Investigators have found similar problems at several other VA medical centers. In the past, some VA administrators have been accused of maintaining a duplicate set of books to hide these deaths and delays from official statistics. Many of these administrators had previously received bonuses for making it appear vets were getting prompt care.

Pending Legislation: S.219 - Veterans Health Care Freedom Act
Sponsor: Sen. Patty Murray (WA)
Status: Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Chair: Sen. Jerry Moran (KS)

• I oppose reforming current veteran’s healthcare policy and wish to donate resources to the campaign committee of Leader John Thune (SD).
• I support removing certain restrictions and administrative barriers that limit a veteran's ability to choose between a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facility or a provider in the community by:
  
  1.) Directing the VA's Center for Innovation for Care and Payment to create a three-year pilot program.
  
  2.) Allowing enrolled veterans to choose any provider within the "covered care system," which includes VA medical facilities and community providers under the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP).
  
  3.) Exempting participants in the pilot from needing pre-authorization from the VA to see an in-network community provider. The program would also remove eligibility criteria, such as the veteran's location, to make it easier to access care at both VA and non-VA facilities.
  
  4.) Allowing the provisions of the pilot program to become permanent for all veterans using VA health benefits, phasing out restrictions on accessing care under the VCCP and Veterans Care Agreements.
  
  5.) Allowing veterans in the pilot program to choose a community provider to coordinate their care, rather than a VA gatekeeper.
  
  6.) Using existing VA funding, without authorizing new appropriations.
  
  And wish to donate resources to the campaign committee of Sen. Jerry Moran (KS) and/or to an advocate group currently working with this issue.