Press Releases

Today, Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, released the following statement praising the launch of the VA MISSION Act community care program last Thursday, June 6, 2019: 

“Though the VA MISSION Act community care program began just a few days ago, it is already doing what President Trump and Congress intended it to do - ensure veterans have access to the timely, quality care they need. I am encouraged by the successful implementation of the program so far and want to express my gratitude to Secretary Wilkie and the thousands of hardworking employees in VA medical facilities across the country who are making it work for our veterans." 

Background:

The VA MISSION Act, which was signed into law by President Trump on June 6, 2018, includes three pieces of legislation that have been considered by either the House or Senate Committees on Veterans’ Affairs. The bill would streamline VA's duplicative community care programs into one cohesive program; create a non-partisan process for realigning VA’s physical assets to ensure veterans can get the care they need closer to home; and expand the Post-9/11 Caregiver Program to the caregivers of veterans of all eras. These reforms are supported by major Veterans Service Organizations. Additionally, the law contains a number of provisions that would strengthen VA's internal capacity to provide timely, quality care to veteran patients within VA medical facilities by improving and expanding VA's ability to train, recruit and retain the very best providers. To learn more about what the community care program means for veterans, click here. To learn about access standards for drive times, click here. To learn about access standards for wait times, click here.